Gilded Soul
by Digitallace
Summary: It’s one thing to hear about the daring tales of Harry Potter but quite another to be living in the middle of one. But the danger Draco is destined for seems trivial once he finds himself falling in love with Harry.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: This story was one of my first, and as such, was so riddled with mistakes I could hardly look at it. So, as fond as I am of the story itself, I've decided to go back and redo the story, chapter-by-chapter until it's finished. Anyone reading through this for the first time, please keep this in mind. If you don't see my note at the top marking it as rewritten, it's still the original chapter. I'll finish the revisions as quickly as I can, but as there are so many chapters, and my time is already allocated toward new stories, I'm afraid it won't be a fast process. If anyone would like to volunteer to do a very thorough beta on this story, I would gladly accept.

Edited: Feb2009

**Prologue**

_Fog settled around his lithe form as Draco walked through an unknown forest. He had been following the path for hours, being led along by a lingering feeling of need. A powerful force seemed to pull him further inside the dense landscape until he could barely make out a path in the forest floor. _

_He began to feel vines cover his feet and move up his legs, deathly tendrils trying to slow him, stop him, or even kill him. This was nothing unusual, however, and Draco made quick work of dissolving the vines with a flick of his wand, and was more cautious going forward. _

_Eventually he saw what must have been his destination. Half rotted rock walls stood crumbling, but made stronger with foliage intertwined in the gaps. Set into the wall was a weathered wooden door. Deep red and splintered with age, it hung secure and unmoving; no matter the look of it. Draco approached the door, ignoring the sudden shrieks of warning in his head. He carefully inspected the large iron lock, bolting the door steadfast in its place. Draco shook his head in concern after several attempts at unlocking the door failed. After using every spell he knew, the lock stayed clamped shut and cold in his hands._

Draco woke up with a start; his hands still outstretched, grasping at an invisible iron lock. He immediately rummaged through his bedside table extracting a quill and his journal. He had been having these dreams subsequently now for almost three months, and each night he got just a little closer to whatever he was being pushed towards. This had been the fifth night in a row he had been stuck on the lock. He quickly wrote down everything that had transpired in his dream before little bits of it trickled away and he was left with only haunting shadows. He had begun writing about this dream, and other things, a little over a month ago when he discovered, after much research into dream interpretation, that it might be important.

Almost immediately after he finished writing it all down, most of the dream escaped his consciousness. He tucked the journal back into the nightstand and sat up, stretching out like a wild cat. He got up and pulled on a pair of perfectly tailored black slacks and a light green cashmere sweater before covering all of it with his black robes bearing the Hogwarts crest. Draco padded lightly across the room to the door leading to the common room, pausing for a moment to see four other students still slumbering in their own beds.

Draco left the common room as quietly as a door mouse and made his way swiftly into the main courtyard of the castle. It was here he came most mornings, before dawn's light could create the long shadows of morning. It was here that he often found himself, alone and silently mourning his childhood decisions. He was not so naive as to think he was no longer a child, but he knew now that most of his actions and words throughout his entire life had been fueled by ignorance.

Taking a deep breath, Draco could feel the cold, moist morning air fill his lungs. He looked around as if noticing for the first time that everything around him was covered in a thick blanket of snow. He should feel colder, he knew, but he didn't have the strength within him to feel anything right now. The logical thing would have been to go back into the looming castle, but Draco did very little based on logic these days. Instead he walked further into the snow-covered grounds surrounding the school.

He thought of the Manor and that soon the Christmas holidays would be upon him and he would be forced to leave the safety he felt here at the castle. The idea of facing the Dark Lord, after everything he now believed to be true, made him shudder. It would only take one minor slip of the tongue for Voldemort to delve into his thoughts and see what now filled his young, traitorous brain, and then what? What would he do to him, to his mother? Draco dared not think on it, knowing full well what the monster was capable of.

Another shudder wracked his body as he thought of his mother, trapped inside the Manor with the snake like creature. He knew not coming home would look suspicious and could put his mother into further danger, so he had to clamp down his resolve and hope for the best. He almost laughed aloud at the thought. His father in Azkaban, his mother imprisoned in her own home, his whole family under Ministry scrutiny, and now the task Voldemort had assigned him with. This death mission he was tasked to complete made him feel nauseous.

Hope indeed.

At the sight of a large tree in the distance, Draco's mind went to other places. He often thought of the moment that caused his change of heart. It was such a simple moment, such a fleeting point in time, that Draco might have missed it had he blinked. Then would he have remained the same arrogant Slytherin he had always been? Would that have been better than the current torment he felt at betraying his family lineage? It was hard to be certain.

The memory played through his mind over and over; the image of a boy his own age standing against this very tree. It had been dusk and the sun was slowly sinking into the lake, and the soft scarlet glow lit up the boy's face, making his green eyes sparkle like jewels. His hair, black and unruly whipped softly in the breeze and a small, sad smile played on his lips. Draco couldn't remember what he was even doing outside in order to oversee this deeply personal view, but he instantly felt a kinship to the boy that he had never felt with anyone.

After acknowledging the feeling, the hard part started. He then began to realize that he had always felt a connection to Potter; one that he'd even tried to solidify the first day of school on the train. His confusion deepened from that point, because he was unsure what it was that connected him with the famous Gryffindor Golden Boy. The idea that they were born rivals carried him through the first several years, until that vision of the proud yet broken Gryffindor he saw but a month or so ago.

Draco moved forward, unhindered by the snow, a feeling of helplessness upon him. He was completely without true friendship. There was no one he could talk to about the growing doubts forming in his mind. He went so far as to keep up his daily ruse of pretending to be his former self, and not one of the other Slytherins knew him well enough to have suspected anything.

As Draco moved closer to the tree, he was filled with an urgent feeling to move away, to run back toward the safety of the castle. He did not heed the warning in his brain, and immediately regretted it as the ground broke beneath his feet, shattering with a screeching cacophony. Suddenly Draco was submerged in the icy depths of the lake, eyes wide, but unseeing as he jerked around, trying to pull himself back to the surface. Everywhere he grasped was either water or crumbling ice and it burned his fingers. As he frantically clawed at the water surrounding him, his heart slowed and his eyelids drooped. He felt the blackness of death seep into his bones, his body going numb as he began to float weightlessly in the watery depths.

--

_Draco again felt the cold iron lock in his hand; he looked at it for several moments, turning it over and over in his fingers. On the bottom was a keyhole, and upon further study of the mechanism, he felt sure that he had seen the key that belonged to it. He pressed his brain for an answer to this question, but nothing came to him. In his heart he knew he had found the key at some point, but in his mind he could not locate it. _

_He felt the breeze press warm fingers into his forehead, and suddenly it was not the breeze, but actual fingers. He tried to reach out, to grab the invisible hand, or to swat it away, but his arms would not obey him, instead hanging limply at his sides. A small sliver of light blinded his vision…_

"Malfoy?"

Draco could not make out the voice that spoke his name. But suddenly two very sparkling green eyes, made larger by a pair of black-rimmed spectacles, came into focus. After blinking several times to determine that this was not, in fact, part of his dream, he sat bolt upright, and was rewarded with a splitting headache. "Where am I?"

Harry's concerned face loomed over him still as he dodged out of Draco's way. "Hospital wing."

Draco looked around briefly as if to confirm this fact, and was rewarded with the sight of sterile beds and moving trays filled with potions. Definitely the hospital wing. "What happened to me?"

Harry's look of concern remained firmly planted on his face as he stared down at Draco. "I found you drowning in the lake. You were trapped under the ice. I pulled you out and brought you here."

He didn't know whether Potter was being sarcastic or if the Gryffindor was just playing some game with him. But then the chill of the ice flooded his veins once more and he remembered drowning. Draco narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

Harry's eyes went wide and he took a step back."Next time I should just let you die, I suppose?" He placed a well-crafted mask of carelessness over his face, but Draco could still see the concern in his eyes.

"How bad was it then?" Draco asked, eyes never leaving Harry's.

"You were dead." At Draco's immediate protest, Harry lifted a hand to silence him. "I swear it. I saw you go under, and I ran as fast as I could, but by the time I pulled you out, you were blue and you weren't breathing."

Draco looked at Potter carefully, watching every nuance as the boy spoke. He was telling the truth. "I owe you a life debt then."

"No. You don't. We don't even need to speak about it," Harry protested, shaking his head vehemently.

One delicate blond eyebrow arched upward and Draco set him with a speculative look. "I'm confused."

Potter rolled his eyes. "You would be," he began, but noticing that Draco was not even remotely joking, continued, "Not everyone requires payment in return when they do something nice."

Draco almost smiled at that. "I think you would have to concede that this goes a little beyond _something nice_."

Harry shrugged. "You can think of it any way you want, but I still don't need anything in return."

Draco eased a little, but then curiosity got the better of him. "What were you doing out there so early?"

Harry's face didn't change a bit, but Draco saw the flicker of panic pass across his expressive eyes. "I'm glad your feeling better, Malfoy. I'll see you in class." And he walked steadily from the room without glancing back.

Gone was the boy quick to jibe and rage against Draco. He marveled at the way Harry carried himself, the world on his shoulders, but still not a single slouch. Perhaps he had, like Draco, had a recent revelation. His reaction to the small, seemingly insignificant question intrigued Draco. What had Harry Potter been doing by the lake that morning? It could very well have been as innocent as Draco's reasoning of needing solitude, but Harry's reaction suggested otherwise. Draco leaned back in his bed and drifted off to sleep. This time, what filled his dreams were not locks beckoning to be opened, but soft, smoldering green eyes.

--

Later that week, Draco had gotten no closer to finding out the Gryffindor's secret. In potions class, he watched Harry from where he sat in the back of the room. Hermione and Ron would be off in their own little world, practically ignoring the sadness that emanated off of their raven-haired friend. If Draco could feel it, why couldn't they? Weasley would crack a joke with him, and he would laugh, quietly making light of his sorrow. Granger would nag him to study more, and Potter would just nod resolutely. Draco pondered on the reasons for the proud Gryffindor's sadness. Sure, there was a murdering dark wizard who wished him dead with every fiber of his being, but that was relatively old news so far as Draco was concerned. Draco himself would have to deal with that threat far sooner than Harry.

There had been whispers around the manor, about Harry, and about Sirius Black. He started to wonder if there were any truth them. If Sirius Black was indeed Harry's godfather, that could cause his recent strife. Having two people out to murder you in cold blood might be enough to elicit the kind of feelings he was getting from Harry.

"Today we will be pairing up to create one of the more difficult potions for Sixth year potions class." Professor Slughorn levitated cauldrons throughout the class as he glided through the room. "Turn to page ninety-eight in your textbooks, where you will see the ingredients and instructions to make the Wolfsbane potion. Then you will get into teams of two to start the process."

Draco watched as Harry immediately turned to Weasley and Granger, who had already linked hands and looked at Harry sheepishly. Blaise approached Draco, and he only waved him off, much to the amazement of several Slytherins nearby. Draco watched as Harry's eyes flitted about the room looking for a partner. As soon as he turned around, his green eyes locked with Draco's and a small frown curled on his lips.

Draco made room for Harry's textbook and took notice of the heat that radiated off of the boy's skin as he sat down beside him. Anger, embarrassment, or maybe he was just always warm to the touch? Draco banished the thought from his head. No touching. Harry looked at him sideways and Draco smirked. "Do you think you can handle this potion? It's very advanced, even for Sixth year."

Harry rolled his eyes. "So I hear," he said, gesturing to the professor sitting at his desk.

Draco smiled. "Do you want to fetch the ingredients or should I?"

"I'll go," Harry replied with a shrug.

With a sigh, Harry walked to the ingredient closet and carefully picked through the bottles and jars until he had what he needed and levitated it in a small pile up to Draco's desk. Draco began opening and sorting the ingredients as soon as they hit the table and had them all separated into two piles before Harry sat down. Harry silently took his pile and began chopping and slicing as indicated in his textbook. Draco noticed, however, that Harry's had small scribbling print in the margins next to the instructions, and little notes here and there written in the same spidery handwriting. Draco recognized it immediately, but couldn't pinpoint it.

Harry followed the handwritten text with his fingers a couple times and noticed the instructions were telling him to do something different than Draco's own textbook. "How do you know what's written there is right?"

Harry was quiet for a moment, obviously gauging how much to say. "It's been right so far."

Draco thought about all the perfect potions Harry had suddenly whipped up this year and laughed to himself. "So this is why you have been doing so well in potions?" Harry nodded and Draco laughed again. "That's very Slytherin of you." Harry paled slightly at the comment, which just made Draco laugh even harder.

Draco reached over for the book but Harry pulled it out of his grasp shaking his head. "Oh, no you don't."

"I'm not going to steal it, but I need to read what it says about what to do with my half of the ingredients. It wouldn't do very well for us to be making separate potions."

Harry seemed to think this over and eventually handed the book off. As Draco wrapped his pale fingers around it, he grazed Harry's hand and the book dropped to the floor. Shaking his hand like he had been bitten, Draco looked at Harry, who was doing the same. Both boys looked at one another for a moment that seemed suspended in time. Draco could see the acknowledgment of the connection between them written plainly on Harry's face. After several moments passed and their eyes still locked, motions still halted, Draco noticed a hush throughout the room that he was quite sure was not simply in his head.

He broke eye contact with Harry and looked around the classroom. Sure enough, every student was now turned towards the two of them, watching their exchange intently. Draco saw Harry fighting a war against the blushing now conquering his face, his main focus on the faces of his two best friends sitting a few rows in front of them. Draco followed Harry's gaze and first landed on Granger, whose face showed curiosity and a slight smile playing on her lips. He then looked to Weasley, whose face was inflamed with loathing aimed directly at Draco, and something else, something that looked a lot like…fear? Draco almost nodded to himself. Yes, Ron was afraid of the look he saw on Harry's face.

_Well this was an interesting development_, Draco thought to himself. Draco leaned down to procure the forgotten textbook, and when he returned the book to the table's surface, he noticed that Harry had moved further away from him. He felt a twinge of sorrow as he pretended to calmly look through the book, as if nothing had happened.

The rest of the class went by with the quickness of a snails pace for Draco. Out of the corner of his eye he kept watch on Harry and his activities and not once did the Gryffindor speak or look in Draco's direction. Draco's sadness and confusion quickly turned bitter as he chopped ingredients and added them to the cauldron. _I know he felt something, I could see it in his eyes._ Draco fumed, _he's just afraid of what his lackeys will think of him being friends with a Slytherin_. This thought pulled Draco from his anger. Wasn't Draco too fearful of the same thing? Could he judge Harry in a negative light for something that he himself could not comes to terms with?

Draco visibly relaxed and sighed as his mind pulled him away from his frustration. Harry looked over at him, Draco turned, their eyes meeting again, and Draco saw the motion of so many thoughts and feelings flicker through his emerald eyes. Fear…doubt…anger…loathing…lust.

Lust?

Draco yanked his eyes away from Harry's at that moment. No, that couldn't be right. Draco turned back to find Harry finely chopping his wormwood and it seemed, also attempting to thoroughly ignore his partner.

"Listen," Draco whispered, "there is something going on here."

Harry didn't even look up when he responded, "I don't know what you mean."

Draco gritted his teeth and pressed on, "I think you do."

Harry just shrugged, causing Draco to sigh and sag in his seat, looking defeated. Harry glanced over at him briefly then huffed. "Look, it's not like I'm going to just be best mates with you because of…of whatever that was. It doesn't work that way, Malfoy. Not after everything you've done to me and my friends."

Draco just nodded, going back to stirring the cauldron. _Did I really expect things to change?_ Draco laughed to himself, realizing that he had. He had thought that he and Harry could be friends, and never even thought about what that would mean. Didn't think about the measures he would have to take to make up for the past. The potion boiled and sputtered, yanking Draco out of his thoughts.

"How many clockwise turns did you give it?" Harry pressed.

Draco shrugged. "Twelve I think."

Harry jerked the spoon from Draco's hand and stirred the cauldron three times counter clockwise and then removed the spoon. "Are you trying to get us killed?"

Draco looked down at his notes and ignored the question. His mind was elsewhere today, he needed to clear it, and fast. He would have to think about his situation with Harry when he was not in the middle of class.

After Potions, Draco stood back and watched as Harry quickly gathered his things and ran off to join his friends. He could hear Weasley muttering foul things about him, but chose not to take the bait as he might have done previously. Granger had Harry's arm in a vice like grip and she was whispering fervently in his ear. Draco followed them as long as he could and watched as Harry would sneak little looks over his shoulder to see if he was still there. Soon enough though, Draco had to veer off towards his own common room.

Once there, he immediately went to his room, rummaged through his nightstand to find his journal. With quill in hand, Draco flipped to the back and began outlining a plan to win over the friendship of the famous Harry Potter.


	2. Chapter 1 Talk to him nicely

Chap

**Author's notes: I owe much love to my brilliant beta Casey, who has so many screen names I just can't keep up! She was full of fantastic ideas and feedback and made me laugh through the whole process. **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of the recognized content within this story**_._

--

**Step one – Talk to him…nicely**

Draco turned the large iron lock over and over in his hands. Where had he seen the key? Of course, the room of requirement!

Draco woke up and wrote the rest of the dream down, immediately recalling the key he had seen on one of the shelves in the Room of Requirement.

He had been there several times this year already. At first it was to check and fix the large magical cabinet that would allow Voldemort's Death Eaters into the castle, but then once he realized he no longer intended to follow orders from that mad man, it just became a place for him to go and hide for awhile. It had become increasingly hard for him to be around his Slytherin classmates over the last several weeks. They were constantly talking about things he no longer believed in, He knew given time, he would slip up, so he stayed away, which only made him increasingly lonely.

It was early again, and Draco wanted fresh air. He quickly dressed quickly and silently made his way out to the courtyard where he liked to sit and think. He thought of the best time to sneak up to the Room of Requirement and eventually settled on going after dinner. It would seem the least conspicuous. As he looked over the snow-covered ground he saw a small black splotch on the horizon. The splotch was moving slowly along the line of the lake, towards the tree. Harry.

Draco leapt up and soon enough his thought was confirmed at the splotch turned into the outline of a boy, which then took shape into one Harry Potter. Draco attempted to make as little noise possible as he crunched through the fallen snow on his way up to Harry. It was no use however. Still a good twenty feet away, Harry turned and saw Draco approach. Draco watched Harry's body turn rigid as their eyes locked, and then Harry abruptly turned around towards the lake again. Draco continued his approach and finally reached Harry, who was now standing beside the large tree, looking out over the expanse of the ice covered lake in front of him.

They just stood there side by side for several moments, and then finally the silence was broken. "What are you doing out here, Malfoy?"

Draco smirked, "I could ask you the same."

Silence

"I come out here to think. Your Master doesn't like to let me sleep in." Harry said finally.

Draco winced at the comment, "He's not my master, he's my father's."

Harry turned around at that, looking into Draco's cold gray eyes. "It used to be that there was no difference between the two."

Draco shrugged, "I used to believe a lot of things that I don't anymore."

Harry went back to looking at the lake, but looked back when he felt those gray eyes bore into his own. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

Draco quirked his eyebrow, "I think that might be too large a question." At Harry's confused expression, Draco continued, "I'm not sure what my purpose on earth is yet."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Fine, don't tell me."

Draco sighed, "I can't sleep most mornings either. I usually come out and sit in the courtyard." He made a gesture back the way he had come, "I saw you out here and came to talk."

"Talk about what?"

"Talk about what it would take for us to be friends." Draco said in earnest.

Harry looked quizzically at Draco. "Did you bump your head when you fell into that lake?"

Draco almost laughed, "I know it seems ridiculous, but…"

Harry interrupted him, "Do you know what Ron would do if he caught us out here talking? Do you even understand the shit I would have to deal with, just by remaining civil as long as I have?"

"So why do you?" Draco sneered, turning away to head back into the castle until he felt a warm hand on his arm stopping him.

"You don't have to leave."

Draco turned and looked curiously towards the Gryffindor's eyes, but Harry refused to meet his. Draco watched as Harry slipped a cold neutral mask over his usually expressive features and marveled at the Slytheriness of it. They stood there, side by side staring out into the lake, each trapped under the ice of their own thoughts.

--

At breakfast the two rivals sat with their backs to one another. Neither one letting on to that there had been a change between them, however small. They shared small discreet nods when passing in the corridor, but otherwise ignored the others presence. This was not much different than it had been before, but back then the nods had been replaced with scathing comments.

Classes together went much in the same manner, Draco sitting in the back with the Slytherin's and Harry taking his place next to Hermione and Ron. Except for Potions, where Harry and Draco were still partners to make the Wolfsbane potion, which would take a month to finish. Harry silently watched the potion, scribbling down notes on his scroll whenever it made any change. Draco did the same, but also noticed that Ron would watch them from time to time over his shoulder. Draco was curious if it was his friend's happiness or his own he was watching out for.

"Harry, I think it's almost time for the beetle shells." Draco said, stirring the potion slowly in a counter clockwise motion.

"Tell me when you get to ten and I'll drop them in." Harry said, scooping them up and holding them cautiously over the bubbling blue liquid.

"Eight…nine…ten…now." Draco pulled the spoon from the mixture in one fluid motion, as Harry dropped the insect shells into the cauldron. Draco let them sink fully into the liquid, and then continued to stir until it turned a bright fuchsia. Draco sat back in his seat and ran his hands through his hair, looking at everyone else's potions to see if they were in the same place, until he heard a low chuckle coming from the Gryffindor beside him.

Draco looked quizzically at Harry, whose face lit up like a Christmas tree, and whose lips were shuddering, trying to hold back his laughter.

"What's so funny?" Draco exclaimed with narrowed eyes.

Harry transfigured one of the empty ingredient jars into a mirror and held it up for the Slytherin to look at his reflection. Draco peered into the silver glass and noticed nothing awry with his sharp pale features, or his silver gray eyes, then pulling the mirror back a little further he noticed immediately what had caused the outburst. A large mass of fuchsia potion had streaked through his hair, apparently placed there by his own hand.

Draco attempted to _scourgify_ his hair, and while this did get rid of the potion, a large pink streak remained dyed into his once perfectly platinum hair. It also removed the hair product Draco used to sleek it back, thus leaving his hair falling around his face in a slightly disheveled manner.

Draco groaned and Harry could no longer contain his laughter, causing the entire class to once again focus on the unlikely pair. Ron muttered, "Bloody poof" which sent the whole class into raucous laughter. Draco made to get up, but found a familiar arm on his again, keeping him in his seat. Draco looked over at Harry who had almost mastered his laughter, and only had a merry grin.

"You should wear you hair like that more often." Harry said, and at Draco incredulous look he added, "Not the pink, but the hair product, or lack thereof."

Draco quirked an eyebrow at his remark causing Harry to blush. "I think I'll not be taking hair styling advice from you, Potter." He gestured to Harry's own wild mane.

Harry just grinned and went back to logging the potion, both deep down knowing that Draco would wear his hair this way from now on.

--

After dinner, Draco went directly to the Seventh floor and watched a tapestry of ballet dancing trolls for a moment, before pacing three times in front of the opposing blank expanse of wall. A large door slowly appeared and Draco made his way quietly through it. As he passed the shelves, he came across a full-length mirror. He quickly checked to make sure his hair was still properly platinum. It had taken him an hour of scrubbing his hair the Muggle way in order to get the pink out. Still, he thought he could faintly make out where it had been. Satisfied enough, he continued his trek two thirds of the way into the room and turned left, finding the particular bookcase he was looking for.

He searched the shelf for half hour trying to find the key. _I know it was right here. Between the Batbog cream and the broken cat umbrella._ Draco continued his search, moving onto other shelves, and going back to ones that he had previously studied, before finally giving up. Certain that people would get suspicious if he snuck in after curfew; he made his way quickly down to the Slytherin common room, with a few minutes to spare.

Easily shooing away the unwanted affections of a desperate Pansy, he made his way into the 6th years dorm. Sitting on his bed, he pulled out the journal and noted all of the places that he recalled looking for the key. Then flipping to the back page, he crossed the first item from his list of steps to befriend Harry.

Draco lay awake longer then needed thinking about where the key could have wandered off to, being a magical item it really could be anywhere. Eventually Draco drifted to sleep with thoughts of a certain Gryffindor plaguing his mind.


	3. Chapter 2 Secret Keys & Secret Desires

So, I figured it might be easier for you to read my edits if there was a system, so I created one

**Author's notes: I owe much love to my brilliant beta Casey, who has so many screen names I just can't keep up! She was full of fantastic ideas and feedback and made me laugh through the whole process. **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of the recognized content within this story**_._

**--**

**Ch 2 – Secret Keys & Secret Desires**

The same frustrating lock sat cold and unyielding in Draco's hand. As he mentally cursed himself for not being able to locate the key, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a figure standing beside him with an outstretched hand. The hand was clenched into a tight fist, but when Draco turned to learn the identity of the mysterious person, the fog thickened around him. He looked back to the extended hand, and noticed that it was now open, revealing a large tarnished iron key. He knew it was the one he was searching for. He reached for it…

Draco woke to the sounds of screaming from a bed near his own. Looking over, he saw Theodore Nott clutching his arm in pain and several of his roommates crowded around him. Instinctively, Draco touched the spot on his own arm, where the Dark Mark would soon appear if he couldn't find a way to avoid it. _Preferably without being killed. _He could see the glowing mark on Nott's arm from across the room. With a shudder, Draco attempted to block out the sound of Nott's screams by leaving the dorm; he knew it would only get worse, and there was nothing Theo could do about it until Voldemort ended the summons. Theo couldn't leave the castle, so he would just have to deal with it.

Draco could remember the day that Theo had come over showing off his arm and the new tattoo that graced it. At the time he had been impressed, and even slightly envious, but Lucius made it clear he would not allow him to accept the mark until he graduated. Now that his father was in prison, Draco feared that the mark would be forced upon him when he went home for Christmas.

Draco curled into one of the sofas in the common room. There was no telling what time it was in the Slytherin dungeons, but Draco sensed it was still too early to venture out. It hit him suddenly what he had been dreaming of; he'd finally had the key to the lock, but now that he had woken, would the stranger return to him? More importantly, who had the key? Was that what the dream was trying to tell him? That he needed to find the person holding the key? Draco's mind went numb with confusion. He began to drift into a fitful slumber, filled with Dark Marks and snake-like faces, but no locks, and no keys.

--

Draco wondered how long Harry had been coming out to the lake, and why he hadn't noticed him before. As he made his way over to the tree where Harry stood the lake, Draco began to wonder what nightmares the Gryffindor Golden Boy had to hide from.

"Malfoy," Harry said, as Draco got closer, eyes not leaving the lake.

"Potter." Draco responded, in a cool, even tone.

Harry finally turned around and Draco almost stumbled at the look in those green eyes. Had he been crying? Draco knew better than to ask, but that didn't stop him from pondering the source of those red-ringed orbs. Without thinking, he reached out an unsteady hand and rested it on Harry's shoulder.

Harry flinched, but didn't move away. "Malfoy, you don't have to…"

Draco only nodded. "I know."

The two unlikely companions stood there for a moment until Harry spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "I just can't get away from him…" Malfoy assumed that he meant Voldemort, but dared not interrupt. "He's plagued me all my life, taken away every single person I have ever cared about, and now there is a prophecy, which means I'm stuck with him until one of us is dead!"

"There's a prophecy? What does it say?" Draco blurted, unable to hold back

Harry just looked at him, as if seeing Draco for the first time. "What does it matter? I either have to die, or murder him."

Draco sighed in annoyance. "What exactly did it say? Maybe I can help you figure something out. Malfoy's are experts when it comes to loopholes."

Harry smiled at that, but his smile quickly faltered. "Why are you doing all of this? Why are you being friendly?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "I think we've already been over this."

Harry laughed. "You're serious? You just woke up one morning and decided you wanted to be friends with me? Why?"

Draco sneered. "As I recall, Potter, I tried to make friends with you a long time ago, and you dismissed me."

Harry gaped. "You actually think insulting my friends and acting superior was the way to make friends?"

Draco sagged in defeat. "I've made more mistakes than I care to admit. Do I even get points for trying a different method this time?"

Harry's smile reached all the way up to his eyes when he responded, "Five points to Slytherin."

Draco rolled his eye, but smiled nonetheless. "So you're really supposed to kill Voldemort?"

Harry nodded solemnly. "It appears so, yes."

"Any idea how you're going to do that?"

Harry shrugged and turned to start heading back towards the castle. Draco followed and matched Harry's pace. He searched his mind for a change of subject, but Harry beat him to it. "Did you know the Sorting Hat almost put me in Slytherin?"

Draco looked genuinely shocked. "Really? How does anyone _almost_ get sorted into a house?"

Harry laughed. "I argued with it. I told the hat anywhere but Slytherin."

Draco frowned. "I made that bad of an impression did I?"

Harry smiled and nudged Draco in the ribs. "Yes, you did."

Draco walked with Harry through the castle, parting at the entrance to the Great Hall. He turned to watch Harry make his way over to where Ron and Hermione were already sitting. He was about to look away when something else caught his eye. He looked over to find Ron glaring adamantly in his direction. Draco tried not to break stride as he walked to his table, sitting between Blaise and Pansy but it was hard to ignore the look of hatred in those fierce blue eyes.

--

Draco was sitting on the floor of the library, looking at a row of books about the Goblin Wars, when he heard a noise.

"Psst!" Draco flicked his head from side to side in search of the leaky pipe. "Psst… Malfoy." The whispered voice came from the other side of the shelf. Draco moved a couple of large books aside and revealed the image of a fuzzy haired girl. "Granger? What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was trying to get your attention!"

Draco looked at her incredulously. "By impersonating a broken faucet?"

Hermione came around to his side of the shelf with her hands on her hips and huffed indignantly. "I'll have you know, Draco Malfoy, that I had every intention of being nice during this meeting, but now I'm not so sure."

Draco quirked an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what meeting are we supposed to be having that's so secret it has to be conducted _through_ a bookcase?"

Hermione blushed slightly. "It's about Harry. He's been acting strangely, happy even. I haven't seen him like this since before Cedric & Sirius' deaths."

Draco would have smiled at the thought of Harry being happy because of him, if it weren't for the other statement. "Sirius Black is dead? And that made Harry sad?"

Hermione groaned in frustration. "You didn't know that Sirius was Harry's godfather?"

Draco shrugged elegantly. "I never gave it much thought, but I don't suppose Black would have been my first choice for Harry's godfather, no."

Hermione huffed. "Harry found out he was completely innocent. Sirius offered to take Harry in. He was a good person."

"The way my mother talks of him, he might as well have been dead for years. What happened to him?"

Hermione stopped then. "You don't know any of this, do you? What have you and Harry been talking about?"

Draco stood up quickly. "Who says Potter and I talk at all?"

Hermione looked at Draco with a sheepish grin. "I can see you both from my dormitory window."

Draco sighed and leaned his back against the shelf. "So what was it you wanted?"

Hermione smiled mischievously. "I just want to make sure you're not up to something. Harry doesn't need to go falling in love, only to have it yanked away from him like some cruel joke."

Draco sputtered. "Fall in love? Are you mad, woman?"

Hermione grinned and turned to leave, winking at Draco as she did. "Whatever you say, Malfoy." And with that she disappeared, leaving Draco wondering what just happened.

--

Potions class that later day was exceedingly awkward. Draco tried to remain friendly with Harry and ignore what Hermione had said earlier, but it was not working. Draco found himself analyzing every little movement Harry made, and every word he said, looking to see if there was any truth in the statement.

He had already run through a full gamut of emotions since the brief attack in the library. The thought first struck him as completely ridiculous; Harry barely liked him as a friend. Then his ego got the better of him and he started to think it was a possibility. _I mean, who wouldn't want to date me? _He dismissed that idea as quickly as it had come, knowing full well that he could list hundreds of people who couldn't stand him. From curiosity to anger, Draco had completely exhausted every avenue on the subject, but still never managed to feel disgusted or repelled by the idea.

This thought was what worried him the most. Try as he might, he could not manage to feel that the idea was wrong. He could hear his Father screaming at him about the responsibilities of a Malfoy, and still he mostly only felt intrigued by the thought. This line of thinking lead to additional worries; was he falling in love with Harry? What if Harry _did_ love him, then what? He was the sole heir to a pureblood line, and even with his current feelings about what the Malfoy name meant, he still couldn't imagine abandoning it.

Draco slowly stirred the Wolfsbane potion that was currently green in color and smelled of feet, as he thought of a worse problem. What if he fell in love with Harry, but Harry didn't like him at all? The idea set him in a downward spiral of mental torment, which was apparently noticeable since he suddenly felt Harry's hand on his own, slowing the speed with which he was stirring the boiling liquid. Draco dropped the spoon and with all the grace he could muster, grabbed his books and exited the potions classroom in a hurry.

--

Draco spent the rest of the day hiding out in the Prefects' bathroom. He had yelled at Moaning Myrtle over a dozen times to leave him alone, but that just seemed to make her more interested in him. Finally, ignoring her seemed to make her give up and leave to haunt another bathroom.

Draco sat in an empty stall, kicking the door closed over and over, and listening to clanging resonate in the tiled bathroom. He couldn't recall having ever been so confused. As a Malfoy, he had his life mapped out for him until the day he died. He was meant to finish school, apprentice with his Father in the dark object import business, take over the business and build upon it, then get married, produce an heir, and maybe be allowed to rest in ninety years or so. It was all planned out, and simple, and could be relied upon.

Only now his Father was in prison, and he didn't even know if the family business still existed. He was almost sure Voldemort had other plans for his career, and he might be gay, which wiped clear the idea of a wife and children. Draco stood and battered his forehead into the door chanting things like, "Stupid git" and "What was I thinking".

He had finally resolved to leave things be with Harry, not wanting to add further complications to his already complicated life, when he realized that classes would be ending soon. Eventually, someone was bound to wander into the bathroom, so he grabbed his books from the floor and left to seek out a better hiding place.

--

Draco opened the door to the Room of Requirement and could tell instantly that he was not alone. It was the same room, filled with shelves covered in thousands of abandoned magical objects, but it felt different, and was slightly brighter then when he normally arrived. He listened closely for a voice or a movement, anything that would let him know who it was, or where they were. He didn't have to wait for long, because the intruder made himself visible at once.

"Harry?"

Harry walked forward from the center of the room's wreckage and stood about ten feet from where Draco was standing. "One might think you were stalking me, with how often you manage to just show up," Harry said with a heavy amount of sarcasm.

Draco shrugged elegantly. "You never seem to mind."

Harry blushed but didn't respond right away. "So, what are you doing here, Malfoy?"

Draco leaned against a nearby bookcase, attempting to look nonchalant, but knocked a knight's helmet off the shelf. It clattered noisily to the ground, eliciting a wry grin from Harry. _Draco, pull yourself together, its just Harry._

Draco flushed; thoroughly embarrassed that he couldn't seem to keep his cool around the Gryffindor. Draco tugged on his long silver and green tie. "I come here all the time. What are you doing here?"

Harry narrowed his eyes, apparently hesitant to answer. "I was looking for something."

Draco laughed and gestured at the hundreds of shelves all around. "I think you may have come to the right place."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, I found a key in here recently that I found useful, and that prompted me to come up and see… What are you gawking at?"

Draco promptly closed his gaping mouth "Nothing. It's just… a key. You found a key? What did it look like?"

Harry just looked curiously at Draco. "It was iron and clunky and largish, why?"

Draco looked appraisingly at Harry. "No reason. I was just curious."

Harry dropped it, but Draco could tell that he didn't believe him for a second. What was happening here? Was the mysterious stranger from his dream last night Harry? If so, how in Merlin's name did he get there? Were all of his worries based on nothing, and the real connection he felt just part of a dream? Or was the dream just another fragment of their connection? Either way it seemed his earlier resolution to leave Harry alone had flown out the window. He needed to know more about what was happening to him, but the only person he felt could offer that kind of insight would be the person Draco least wanted to discuss it with.

Granger.


	4. Chapter 3 Making Nice with Know It All

Ch

**Author's notes: I owe much love to my brilliant beta Casey, who has so many screen names I just can't keep up! She was full of fantastic ideas and feedback and made me laugh through the whole process. **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of the recognized content within this story**_._

--

**Ch. 3 Make Nice with the Know-It-All**

Draco found Hermione exactly where he had expected: in the library. Unfortunately she was sitting with Weasel. After much deliberation on what spell to use to get her attention, he finally settled on simply walking over. He strode over to the table purposefully and quickly, so as not to lose his nerve. "Granger, I need a word."

Ron leapt to his feet as if to protect Hermione from a conversation with Malfoy. "She doesn't have anything to say to you, Malfoy!" Ron spat.

Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled Ron gently back into his seat. "It's fine Ron. I'll just go see what he wants. I'll only be a minute."

Draco could hear Ron grumbling as they made their way over to a secluded section of the library. "So what do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione said immediately upon reaching a private area.

"I need to talk to you… about Harry."

Hermione shot him a dirty look. "Why in Merlin's name would I help you now, after the way you bailed on him in potions?"

Draco looked confused for a moment, and then it dawned on him. "I was just a little freaked out. I overreacted."

Hermione huffed. "I'll say. You had him sulking for the rest of the day."

"Really?" Draco asked with a slight grin. He never thought he could have such an effect on the Gryffindor.

Hermione scowled at him. "I'm going back to sit with Ron."

"Wait, don't leave. I'm so confused, and then there is this dream I've been having for months, and I think it's all related, and I don't know what to do." Draco looked at her with drowning gray eyes and watched as she caved.

"Fine. Meet me here after dinner." Hermione looked around cautiously. "We can talk then." She turned to leave but stopped for one last word. "And you better not pull another stunt like you did this morning. I won't help you break Harry!"

Draco nodded solemnly and watched as she whipped around and headed back to her seat with the red head.

--

When Draco entered the library later that evening, it was empty. Most students were still in the Great Hall, enjoying their dinner and the company of friends, but Draco found it stifling and ate only a little before heading straight to his arranged meeting place.

After half an hour, Hermione joined him and they sat at one of the back corner tables. Hermione positioned herself to watch the door over Draco's shoulder. "So talk," she said, obviously eager to get to her common room.

Draco began by telling her about his recent change of heart, and how Voldemort was living at his house, and everything he knew about his mother & father's situations. When he started to talk, he just couldn't seem to stop himself. He went on. Telling her about every feeling he had drummed up since their conversation earlier that day, and the reason for his "stunt" in potions.

Then he began talking about the dreams. "I'm in a forest, I don't know which, and there is a large wall, and a wooden gate. The gate is locked, and I couldn't get it open for a while, but last night someone else was there, trying to hand me the key, but I woke up too soon. Then Harry told me about finding a key… _the_ key, and I freaked out and came to you."

Hermione looked contemplative before she finally spoke. "I saw Harry with the key a couple nights ago. He was sitting in front of the fireplace just twirling it in his fingers. It was quite eerie."

Draco leaned back in his chair feeling even more confused. "So he's had it for a few nights? Did he say anything about it?

Hermione shook her head. "No, I asked him about it, and he just put it away in his robes. Didn't say a word."

Draco couldn't figure it out. "Do you think he's having the same dream?"

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip "I don't know. Maybe?" Draco could see her wheels turning, but she didn't say anything further.

Draco dropped his head into his hands. "What would that mean exactly?"

Hermione put her hand on Draco's arm, and then removed it as if she had only realized who she was comforting. "Just be careful. Harry's dreams are not always his own."

Draco looked at her quizzically. "No, apparently we've been sharing."

Hermione sighed and looked around. She leaned closer to Draco and whispered, "Voldemort has a direct link with Harry's mind. He can invade Harry's dreams and has even implanted fake images there in the past."

Draco's jaw dropped. "Seriously? I was worried about him living at my house; I couldn't imagine having him living in my brain."

Hermione nodded. "I know. That's how we all ended up at the Department of Mysteries last year. Voldemort sent Harry a vision of your father holding Sirius hostage, and Harry went off to save him, but he had never been there. It was all fake."

Draco cringed. "So how did Sirius end up getting killed?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip, and refused to say anything.

"What is it? Did my dad kill him?" Draco prodded worriedly.

Hermione shook her head. "You're Aunt"

"Ugh!" Draco cried out. "No wonder Harry doesn't trust me! There isn't a trustworthy person in my whole family!" (aww… poor Draco…)

Hermione grinned at that. "I don't know, you're not turning out to be so bad. At least you've learned to think for yourself." snickers

Draco blushed slightly and nodded. "I'm not sure if I feel better or worse for it though."

Hermione laughed. "I should get going. I will see what I can find out about Harry's dreams, and do some research on it. Want to meet me back here tomorrow?"

Draco nodded. "Sure thing." Hermione got up to leave but Draco caught her arm. "Hey, Granger… thanks."

Hermione smiled. "You can call me Hermione."

Draco laughed. "Nah."

Hermione just rolled her eyes and left Draco alone with his thoughts. Based on her reputation, he knew Hermione would be able to help him solve this mystery.

--

Draco had barely made it down the first corridor when a red-headed blur came at him like a freight train, slamming him against the wall. Draco had the wind knocked out of him and was trying to regain his balance when he found himself held by the front of his robes and pinned against the wall.

"What were you doing with my girlfriend, Malfoy?" Ron snarled.

Draco tried to free himself, but Ron had his shoulders locked against the wall. "Piss off Weasel!"

Ron moved in, holding his furious face just inches from Draco's as he spoke, "I saw you in there with her."

Draco sneered. "I was having a lovely chat with her. Why? Afraid I'm going to steal your precious Hermione away?"

Ron glared down at him with fire behind his usually dull eyes. "Don't call her that!"

Draco laughed. "But Weasel, she told me to!"

Ron pulled his fist back and launched it quickly towards Draco's sharp features, but Draco deftly dodged it and laughed again.

Ron's face was soon the color of his hair as his hand came away bloody from hitting the stone wall instead of Draco's face.

Draco grinned as he heard quick footsteps approach and his smile was made wider when he saw Professor Snape emerge from behind Ron and pull him by the ear away from Draco.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for fighting in the hallway!" Snape spat, clacking Ron on the back of the head with his open palm. "And detention tomorrow night." Draco smirked at Ron, but Snape caught the look and sneered. "Detention for both of you. A Slytherin should know better then to get caught." Snape looked at them both for a moment with contempt before gliding quickly back down the corridor, black robes billowing behind him.

Ron shoved Draco one last time and stormed off in the other direction, muttering curses.

Draco sighed and made his way down to the Slytherin common room, it was almost curfew and he didn't want to be spotted out in the corridor by Snape again.

--

The forest was cool and fragrant with the scent of wild berries. Draco made his way again to the locked door, but as he approached it, he realized it was ajar. He crept silently closer, hoping that whatever, or whomever, had opened the door, was no longer close by. The door opened with a steady creak and Draco stepped through, finding himself face to face with a large shrubbery. Draco looked left and right to find paths leading in both directions. Looking at he ground he noticed footprints, about the same size as his own, heading right.

He went left.

After a short walk he made a right turn, then another and came promptly to a dead end. "Right it is then." After backtracking to the beginning, he followed the right side until meeting with another fork in the path. This time the footprints went left. Draco decided that they had been right the first time, so decided to follow them left. As he walked along he noticed little fungus-like creatures embedded in the hedgerow, following his movements with what he would swear were small eyeballs. Shuddering slightly, he moved along the path until he sensed rather then saw a figure up ahead.

Draco watched as a figure moved ahead of him, only detectable by the trickles of silvery light that shimmered around it when the moon beamed through the overhead trees. Draco rushed towards the figure and reached out, snagging a bit of fabric in his hands. The figure panicked and bolted, the little bit of cloth Draco was holding, ripped from the cloak with an awful sound.

Draco woke up short of breath, feeling as though he had walked a great distance. When he reached over to grab his journal he noticed a small silvery scrap of fabric in his hand. He quickly shoved it into the pocket of his pajama bottoms and after writing down his dream; he crossed the next item off his list. Smiling to himself, Draco thought he might actually stand a chance with Hermione on his side.


	5. Chapter 4 Ousting the Weasel

Chapter 4: Ousting the Weasel

Chapter 4: Ousting the Weasel

Draco sat on his usual bench in the courtyard, staring at the breaking dawn muffled by the haze of morning. He watched the tree by the lake compulsively, waiting for a slim dark figure to appear. His thoughts drifted to the dream he had awoken from. There had been another person there with him, and now he had evidence to prove it. He might even be able to find out if it was Harry, as he suspected. Draco reached into his pocket to where he had transferred the silvery fabric upon getting dressed.

The scrap of cloth was cool to the touch, and had a velvety texture. As Draco twisted the fabric around his fingers, he thought about Harry. Was it really him in the dream garden? Would he show up again tonight? Draco looked longingly at the tree by the lake, but there was still no sign of the Gryffindor. He pocketed the fabric and stood to go back inside, when a harsh shove to from behind sent him sprawling face-first into the snow.

Draco quickly stood, dusting snow from his robes and shaking it from his hair. Looking back, he saw his attacker. Hermione stood ready to pounce upon him like a feral cat. Draco held up his arms as if to fend her off. "Easy, Granger. What's the meaning of this?"

Hermione vibrated with anger. "What were you thinking picking a fight with Ron? Here I was, helping you, thinking that maybe you weren't such a bad guy after all, when you go and…"

"Hey! Get your facts straight before you come and accost me! Ron was the one who grabbed me, held me down and tried to punch me in the face!"

"Really? You look just fine to me," Hermione said, glancing him over doubtfully.

"Nice of you to notice," Draco retorted sarcastically. "Did you really expect that I would let him hit me in the face?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "You just stay away from me, and Ron and Harry. We want nothing to do with you, _Malfoy_." Practically spitting his name she turned and marched into the castle.

Draco just stood dumbfounded. That little weasel lied to everyone. Draco didn't waste any time plotting Ron's downfall as he made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

--

Potions class went by at a snail's pace as Harry ignored all of Draco's pleas that he believe him about what happened with Ron. Draco made use of the quiet time to read over his notes until he couldn't stand it any longer. "I really didn't start it. I wasn't nice to him, but he's the one that attacked me."

Harry didn't look up from the boiling potion. "I already told you Malfoy: I don't want to hear it."

"That doesn't sound like you believe me," Draco said sarcastically.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't. Do you really expect me to believe your story over Ron's? He's my best mate."

"So were not friends anymore? Because Ron lied to both of you and you choose to believe them over me?" Draco replied indignantly.

Harry didn't answer, but the look in his emerald eyes told Draco the truth. Harry had never thought of him as a friend. Draco thought that he had made some headway with the proud Gryffindor, but it appeared that no matter what Draco said or did, he would never meet the other boy's standards.

Draco sighed in defeat and turned away, refusing to meet Harry's unforgiving eyes. He went back to reading his notes and worked on his report for the rest of class feeling a little bit dead inside.

--

The rest of the day went in much the same manner. Draco sulked around the castle, wading through a festering pit of sorrow. If a smaller student stood in his way, he snapped into a fierce rage, bowling the child over and storming off. Minutes ticked slowly by until finally it was time to face his detention with Snape and Weasel. Draco had already imagined murdering the foul little red head in a number of different ways, most including a blunt object for extra pain. At one point, he even imagined eating his dinner from a bowl made out of the filthy git's skull.

Ron was already there when Draco walked into the room, and Snape walked in right behind him. "You'll be cleaning cauldrons this evening. I hope you both had the forethought to eat dinner before arriving, because I doubt you'll have time to go to the Great Hall tonight." Snape glided into the room, black robes flapping behind him. He sat behind his large oak desk and began shuffling papers and scratching various notes on certain scrolls.

Neither Draco nor Ron made a move, and Snape looked up scowling. "I trust, since you both have attended my class once or twice, that you know where the cauldrons are located?"

Draco was the first to make it to the closet and pulled out the first cauldron he saw. Bringing it back to his desk he saw that it was caked with grime and a yellowish substance that he couldn't identify. He only managed to articulate half of the cleaning spell before he felt his wand tugged from his grasp. He looked up to find his and Ron's wands floating effortlessly toward Professor Snape. "There will be no magic used to clean the cauldrons. If you insist on fighting like Muggles, then you can do your punishment like a Muggle."

Draco could hear Ron growling various obscenities and general foulness under his breath. It was when he heard the words "gay Slytherin bastard" however, that Draco snapped.

"You have no right!" Draco yelled, leaping to his feet and sending his chair toppling to the ground. "You lied to them, and now they both hate me!"

"Good!" Ron spat. "I told them they were nutters for thinking you were on their side in the first place. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater."

"Enough!" Snape bellowed. He easily levitated the boys away from each other and sat them at desks on opposite sides of the room. "Not a single sound from either of you! If you even think about it, you'll sorely regret it."

Draco straightened his robes, pulled himself upright, and returned to scrubbing his cauldron. It was several hours and forty-three cauldrons later when Snape returned their wands and excused them both to their own common rooms.

--

In the corridor, Draco barely made it around the corner before once again finding himself pinned against the wall. This time, exhausted and obviously beaten, he didn't have the strength to mouth off, or to dodge Ron's fist as it came hurtling towards his face.

Draco heard his nose break before he felt it. A rush of deep red blood poured into his mouth and down his chin, the metallic taste of it making him want to retch. Ron laughed as he swung again, this time nailing Draco in the gut. "You're not so bad now without Snape or one of your little goons around, huh?"

Draco doubled over, clutching his stomach, unable to reply. Ron kicked him hard in the back and Draco fell forward, his face smacking against the cold uneven stone. He lay there for a moment, the edges of his vision tinged black.

"I was hoping they would wise up on their own, but I guess Harry and Hermione needed a little _shove_!" Ron said, emphasizing the last word with another sharp kick.

"Ronald!"

Draco could barely make out the screech he heard as two figures approached from further down the corridor. Draco looked up in time to see Hermione staring at him with a mixture of pity and revulsion. To her left stood Harry, paler then Draco had ever seen him. He had pulled Ron's arms back and was forcing the red-head to his knees.

Draco vaguely felt small hands on his shoulders and heard a feminine voice speak softly in his ear. "Draco, I'm so sorry…" before darkness claimed his vision.

--


	6. Chapter 5 Recovery & Scheming

Chapter 5: Recovery & Scheming

Chapter 5: Recovery & Scheming

Draco's head pounded to the rhythm of several drum scores when he woke up, his eyes squinting to shut out the bright daylight filtering in through the windows.

_Windows. My dorm doesn't have windows._ With a start, Draco sat up and opened his eyes, regretting the movement immediately. Wincing, and clutching his aching head, Draco recognized the Hospital Wing at once.

Draco looked around and spotted Harry sitting in the chair next to him, still sound asleep. His head was lying against the mattress, and Draco could feel hot breath wafting against his fingertips. He recoiled and began rubbing his hands together in order to banish the sensation.

At that moment Madame Pomfrey poked her head around the curtain. "Well, Mr. Malfoy, you are certainly looking better." The school nurse bustled around Draco's bed, setting out various potions and poking and prodding at his sore body.

"What happened?" Draco whispered, his voice hoarse from disuse.

Poppy looked at him curiously for a moment. "Oh dear, you don't remember?" A bright light accosted Draco's eyes as Madame Pomfrey checked his pupils with her wand. "Everything seems just fine. Tell me dear, what do you remember?"

Draco winced, internally prodding his brain to try and recall the events before he slipped out of consciousness. "I remember detention with Snape… and then Ron pinning me against the wall…"

Madame Pomfrey stopped him from further strain by resting a gentle hand on his shoulder and easing him back into a reclining position. "It's alright, dear. You may never remember much more then that. I just needed to make certain you had no additional memory loss." Draco frowned and she continued, "Mr. Potter brought you in here for attention. You were quite the mess. Apparently, young Mr. Weasley attacked you, but Mr. Potter and Miss Granger arrived in time to prevent any additional damage."

Draco looked at Harry's still-sleeping form. "How long has he been here?"

"Harry? Why, since the minute he brought you in. I couldn't get him to leave. He's been a right pain in my side since the moment he arrived," Madame Pomfrey declared, as she poured three potions into small glasses for Draco to drink. The first was pale green and smelled foul Draco obeyed her command to drink and followed with the remaining two potions, one being red and slimy and the other being almost transparent, but for a tint of blue.

The school nurse left in the same flurry she arrived, and Draco rested his head back against his pillow. One of the potions he had just imbibed seemed to help his headache, and he just lay there watching Harry's eyes flutter open, revealing deep green pools.

Harry's mouth twitched into a grin when he saw Draco watching him. "Hey you," Harry whispered, his voice still thick with sleep.

Draco returned Harry's smile tentatively, still recalling the last conversation they had. "Hey to you, too."

Harry sat up a little straighter in his chair, eyes still locked with Draco's. "How long have you been awake?"

Draco sighed. "Long enough to take some potions and to find out I'm not dead because of you. Again." Looking away in embarrassment.

Harry's grin faltered slightly. "Ron wouldn't have…" But his voice dropped off and Draco could see in Harry's eyes that he was no longer certain what his best friend was capable of. "I heard the whole thing, and we rushed to stop him, and I did… stop him.

Draco's eyes squinted closed as he recalled Hermione rushing to his side and Harry driving Ron to his knees. "Thanks."

Harry shook his head, "Please, don't thank me. It never would have happened if I had just believed you."

Draco just shrugged and looked away again, unable to meet the Gryffindor's apologetic eyes. He wasn't quite ready to forgive Harry for abandoning him… distrusting him.

"Ron is being sent back to the burrow. He was expelled right off. I have never seen the Headmaster so furious," Harry muttered to Draco's back.

"When does he leave?" Draco asked with mild curiosity. He wanted to get in a good punch before the foul git left, but doubted he would have an opportunity.

"Any minute now. Dumbledore arranged for Arthur and Molly to floo in and take him from his office," Harry said.

Draco felt a wave of shock. "Why aren't you there with your friend?"

Harry smiled slightly. "Because I'm _here_ with my friend." He clutched Draco's sweaty hand and squeezed it. "You should get some sleep. You'll feel loads better when you wake up."

Draco nodded and closed his eyes, sensing Harry's movements as he shifted in his seat. He didn't release Draco's hand for an instant, until he drifted off into a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.

--

When Draco woke up next, he was alone, but not for long. Soon enough he heard the swishing sound of cloaks, as Madame Pomfrey approached. "You look fit as a fiddle, dear. I think you can go back to your common room now, or if you'd like, you can join the other students in the Great Hall for dinner."

Draco felt an immediate twinge of hunger at the mention of dinner, and knew right away which option he would choose. After quickly dressing, he left the hospital wing and padded down to the corridor toward food. He could smell the fragrance of roasted pheasant making his stomach rumble, and was quickly reminded that Christmas Holiday's were too-fast approaching, and he still had no ideas of how to avoid going back to the manor.

Draco pushed open the massive door leading into the Great Hall and looked around tentatively. He noticed that most of the students had cleared out, and there were only a smattering of Slytherin's left at the table. He started out towards Pansy and Theo when he saw a small blur out of the corner of his eye. Draco instinctively threw his hands up, but was immediately crushed in a smothering hug. Fuzzy brown hair accosted his mouth and nose, until he could barely breathe and he finally had to remove the frantic creature off of him.

Pulling at the back of her robes as you would lift a cub by the scruff of the neck, Draco successfully pried Hermione off of his person. "Granger, what in Merlin's name do you think you are doing?"

Hermione's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I'm so happy you're okay, Draco. I'm sorry I wasn't there with Harry when you woke up."

Draco made a show of dusting himself off, before speaking again. "Were you trying to get me to relapse so you could have a proper hospital visit?"

Hermione blushed slightly. "Look, we're both very sorry about Ron, and we know we were awful but…"

Draco huffed and cut her off. "Do you really think talking about this in the middle of the Great Hall is the best idea?"

Hermione swallowed hard and blushed again. "No, I guess not. I did want to tell you that I found some information on the dreams. If you feel up to it, do you want to meet me in the library after you eat?"

Draco nodded quickly and headed toward the Slytherin table. He had almost forgotten his mystical dreams in all the commotion. He didn't recall having a single one of them while he was in the Hospital Wing.

--

Draco sat next to Theodore and across from Pansy, lighting into his food as if he hadn't eaten in months. By the look of Pansy's upturned lip, it appeared that the end result was none too attractive. "So, Draco, what's the deal with the mud-blood?" Pansy asked, he face formed into a mask of revulsion.

Draco looked stricken, caught between wanting to defend Hermione and wanting to keep his secret. He settled for the latter with a slight twist. "I'm using her."

Pansy narrowed her eyes. "Wasn't it her boyfriend that kicked your arse?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and he got expelled, didn't he?"

Pansy shrugged lightly. "I guess. So what are you using her for, exactly?"

Draco made sure to say the next bit loud enough for Theo to hear. He knew the boy had daily correspondence with his Death Eater father about the happenings in the castle. "I'm using her to get to Potter."

Pansy laughed. "Really? And why would you do that? Everyone knows that he's just a little prat whose luck will run out soon."

Draco smirked evilly. "Really? Does everyone also know that he's searching for a weapon to kill the Dark Lord?" The last words left a filmy taste on his tongue, but he tried to ignore it as he continued. "I'm trying to get information on it, so that The Dark Lord can find it first."

Pansy lost all color in he already pale face. "You're serious?"

"Dead." Draco said it with as much drama as he could muster. He saw Theo twitch beside him and knew that as soon as the boy made it to his dorm, he would be writing a letter to his father detailing their conversation.

--

Draco eased his way into the library and made his way to the back, where Hermione met him the last time. She was already there, pouring over some large volume, and Harry was sitting across from her, tipping his chair back and forth precariously. "I didn't know Potter was invited," Draco said, taking the seat next to Harry.

Hermione looked up flustered. "Well, it is his dream as well."

Draco laughed. "We only think it's his dream too."

Hermione smiled. "Well I have compared his account to yours and it appears to match up, oddly enough."

Harry cleared his throat to interrupt. "You could both stop talking about me like I'm not here any minute now."

Hermione blushed and bit her lip, "Sorry, Harry. As I was saying, I compared the recounts of the dreams, and it seems they both started around the same time, if not exactly the same time, and they both involve the forest, and a wall with a locked door, and the hedge maze behind it."

Harry looked at Draco as he spoke. "Only in my last dream, I was attacked by someone and I haven't dreamed about that place again since then."

Draco laughed and reached into his pocket pulling out a small piece of shimmering fabric. "You weren't attacked." He placed the fabric on the table and slid it over to Harry.

Harry and Hermione both gasped in unison. Harry made a grab for the fabric and twisted it around his fingers. "My cloak. But how did you even see me?"

Draco shrugged. "I could only make out where light hit it strangely. It was odd looking. Also, I could see your footprints."

Harry laughed. "So it's true, then. Your in my dream!"

Draco scowled. "Why does it have to be your dream? Maybe you're in my dream!"

"Boys," Hermione interrupted "Let's start documenting the facts here. Stop bickering."

Draco and Harry huffed slightly and returned their attention to Hermione. "I just think," Draco started, "that since Harry didn't dream while I was unconscious, that maybe it's my dream."

Hermione paused and thought about that a moment, then turned to Harry. "He has a point there."

Harry rolled his eyes. "What am I doing in his dream, then?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I think I need to consult some additional books."

"And in the meantime?" Draco said. He was starting to feel like this dream meant more then he had thought. As curious as he had been to find out if Harry was the person in his dreams, he never stopped to think about what that would mean. Draco really didn't want to be pulled into some save-the-world scenario with Boy Wonder here.

"In the meantime, you will both report your dreams back to me when either of you have them, and I'll keep researching," Hermione answered.

Harry tipped his chair forward, inching in on the other two. "Do you think we should mention any of this to Dumbledore?"

Hermione seemed to think on it, but Draco answered first. "What good would that do, Potter?"

Hermione frowned. "I think it may be too early to pull him into it. If either of you find anything dangerous, though, try to wake up. It's quite obvious," she said, pointing to the scrap of fabric on the table, "that what happens there happens here. So don't get killed."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Granger."


	7. Chapter 6 Hare James Potter

Chapter Six: Harry Hare Potter

**Author's notes: As always I owe much love to my brilliant beta Casey, I wrote the next couple of chapters specifically for her ******** I hope you all enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of the recognized content within this story**_._

-- Chapter Six: Hare James Potter

The moon shown brightly on the maze as Draco made his way through it, following Harry's footsteps in the dirt. As he rounded the corner he spotted his slim friend up ahead. This time there was no cloak, and Draco could clearly see him. "Potter," he called.

Harry turned to face him and waved, face shining with sweat. He backtracked to where Draco was standing. When they were face to face, Harry's hand darted out and poked Draco roughly in the chest. "Ow," Draco murmured, more out of surprise then injury.

"Just wanted to check and see if you were really here," Harry mused.

Draco rolled his eyes but struggled to keep a smile from curling his lips. "Is there anything up there?" Draco started, gesturing towards the path Harry came from.

Harry shrugged. "I hadn't made it around the corner yet. Come on." Grabbing Draco by the wrist, he led him further down the path and around the next corner. Draco tensed, thinking Harry was going to hold his hand, but relaxed instantly at the feel of Harry's warm touch against his skin. After about three turns and three arguments as to which way to go, the boys came across a large clearing. It was completely surrounded in hedgerows, which provided no visible exit. A magnificent stone altar stood in the center of the dead end.

The boys tentatively approached the imposing structure, marveling at the intricate stone carvings covering the fascia. The base of the altar was a table, the height of a school desk, but no deeper then a hands breadth. As they made their way closer, the mantle opened, revealing a sleek wooden box.

Harry slid in front of the Slytherin as if to protect him, to which Draco promptly moved back to Harry's right side. "You really shouldn't make a habit of this "trying to save me" thing. I feel it might get tiresome," he said with a slight edge of humor.

Harry just shrugged, laughing. "It comes with the territory. If you want me, you get my hero-complex too."

Draco's gaze alighted on the Gryffindor's smiling features and his stomach did several flips. He was finding it increasingly difficult to hide his growing feelings for his former rival. "Acceptance is the first step to recovery."

Harry had already moved onto other subjects, however, and was focused intently on the now-open wooden box. On the inside of the lid was a tarnished silver plaque with a phrase written upon it. Draco leaned over his shoulder to get a better look and read it aloud to himself. "Drink only one to move ahead. Choose correct lest you be dead." Draco huffed. "Great."

Harry pointed to the interior of the box, which contained five clear vials, each with a different liquid inside. "Potions," Draco muttered, and Harry nodded in agreement.

Each vial had a black label with a pictogram on the surface, and both boys scanned the images, searching for their meaning. "I think the first one with the skull and crossbones is out right off." Draco said, pointing to the first vial which contained a thick, black liquid.

"Also the one with the coffin," Harry said, pointing to the third one in line, which was a sickly green color.

Draco pointed to the fifth potion containing a glowing yellow mixture. "I think this one with the scythe can be ruled out as well. That still leaves two potions."

Harry leaned forward squinting slightly. "Is that a tombstone?"

Draco checked the vial Harry pointed to, the forth in the line and deep blue in color and nodded. "I think it would be safe to say that this is indeed a tombstone." Pointing at the delicate R.I.P on the label.

"So that leaves lettuce!" Harry exclaimed.

"What?" Draco replied, clearly thinking he had heard wrong.

"It just leaves the vial with the picture of lettuce on it. As least, it looks like lettuce," Harry muttered, pointing at the second vial, which was filled with a thin purple liquid. He picked it out of the case.

"Wait!" Draco shouted. "You can't seriously mean to drink this?"

Harry smiled. "Are you worried about me, Malfoy?"

Draco looked flustered. "No, certainly not, but it's a bit dangerous to drink some random dream potion. What if it kills you?"

Harry ignored him and uncorked the potion, sniffing it. "It smells like carrots." Scrunching up his nose he held the vial out to Draco, who batted it away.

"Harry! What if something bad happens?" Draco shouted, grabbing a hold of the other boy's robes.

Harry's mouth dropped open in amazement. "You just called me Harry."

Draco stopped and looked around frantically. "No. I didn't. You're mistaken."

Harry snickered and shook his head lightly. "If something goes wrong, wake up and get Hermione." Without waiting for a reply, Harry downed the potion in one swallow.

Draco's heart nearly stopped as he waited to see if the effects of the potion would hurt the insufferable Gryffindor.

Harry just kept looking down at his hands, which were slowly being incased in a fine coat of soft black fur.

Draco gasped as he watched Harry's skin make a slow transition from smooth and tanned, to black and furred. "Werewolf," Draco whispered terrified.

Harry looked himself over, holding his ears, which were beginning to elongate. "I don't think so. Not wolf, anyhow."

The transformation started to speed up, making Draco feel a little nauseous trying to watch it carefully. After a moment or two, Draco was staring down at a small fluffy black bunny, with tiny round glasses and a small white lightening bolt shape between its long black ears.

--

Harry looked up at the snickering form of Draco Malfoy and shook his newly furred body in irritation. Turning away from him, he scanned the small clearing and immediately found what he was looking for.

In one of the hedges, to the left of the altar, was a hole just large enough to slide his small body inside. He hopped twice and stopped, hearing Draco guffaw behind him. _I can't believe I'm hopping. I should have made Draco drink the potion. _He continued his bouncy journey over to the hole in the hedge, which he slipped through easily.

On the opposite side of the hedge, another clearing, this one slightly smaller, lead to a new maze entrance. Harry looked around and spotted a small stone depression in the ground. Hopping into the depression, the stone slowly rose, elevating Harry several feet into the air.

The hedge he had just come through broke open and revealed a frantic looking Draco, who immediately burst into a run and scooped Harry from the platform and into his arms. "Don't scare me like that. You can't just go… hopping away in bunny form. Something could eat you!"

--

Draco woke up with an uneasy feeling that he couldn't shake off. He reached across to his nightstand and documented the entire dream, including Harry's transformation into bunny form. After replacing his journal he went to his trunk and fished out his robes and a change of clothing. After dressing, he flicked his wand over the bedspread, smoothing it down save for one tiny lump.

The lump in Draco's bedspread mimicked the one in his throat, as he suddenly realized what was hiding under the blanket. He yanked back the covers in one fluid motion and groaned as his hunch was confirmed. There, lying in a tiny heap, was Harry the bunny.

Draco ran over and picked him up, holding and turning him to make sure he wasn't harmed in any way. "I don't suppose you can understand me?"

The bunny just scrunched his nose cutely, eliciting a smirk from Draco. "Okay, blink twice if you can understand me."

The bunny just stared adorably at Draco, unblinking.

Draco huffed and tucked the bunny under his robes and left the Slytherin common room, heading toward the seventh floor.

--

It was still early for anyone to be moving about the castle, so Draco had to wait longer then he would have liked for someone to exit through the portrait hole for the Gryffindor common room. Patience was not something Draco had a firm handle on, so he continued to stroke the furry animal in his lap distractedly until a small blonde head popped out from behind the portrait.

Seeing Draco sitting on the floor made the young girl freeze in place. She was obviously just a first year student and was extremely nervous at seeing a sixth year Slytherin loitering outside the Gryffindor common room.

"I need to see Hermione Granger, do you know who that is?" Draco drawled. The young girl nodded slowly and Draco motioned for her to go back inside. "Go on, go and get her, then."

The girl rushed back through the portrait hole in such a hurry she tripped, narrowly catching herself, before disappearing behind the fat lady.

Draco continued to pet the soft bunny in the depths of his robes and smiled as the bunny nuzzled his hand. A moment later the young girl emerged again from the behind the portrait followed by Hermione. A glare from Draco sent the blonde girl skittering downstairs toward the Great Hall.

Hermione waited until the girl was out of earshot before speaking. "What brings you up to the Gryffindor tower, Draco?"

Draco answered by pulling the small bunny from the depths of his robes and holding him up for Hermione to see.

"You got me a rabbit?" Hermione asked, confusion etched into her features.

"Look closer," Draco replied, annoyed. He watched as the confusion ebb away to be replaced by fear.

"Oh no. That's not…" Hermione gasped. Draco nodded, handing over Harry for her inspection.

"Harry how did you do this to yourself?" she admonished the poor little bunny.

"He drank a potion, in the dream maze." At Hermione's glare he held up his hands in defense. "I told him not to. Pleaded even, but you know Harry."

Hermione sighed and looked into the bunny's green eyes. "Harry, I hope I can fix this."


	8. Chapter 7 Cornered

Chapter Seven: Cornered

**Author's notes: As always I owe much love to my brilliant beta Casey, I wrote this and the last chapter specifically for her ******** I hope you all enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of the recognized content within this story**_._

--

**Chapter Seven: Cornered**

Draco and Hermione sat in the library, choosing to skip breakfast in order to try and find a cure for Harry the Rabbit. "So you said it was purple?"

Draco nodded. "And smelled like carrots," He added.

Hermione huffed and glared at the tiny bunny again. Draco was already looking through the index of one large volume, trying to see if anything stood out, while idly stroking the bunny on the table. Hermione looked at the scene with a twinge of amusement.

Breakfast was coming to an end, and they still didn't have any idea what potion was used, when Hermione interrupted their studies. "Maybe I should ask Dumbledore?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "How would you explain it, exactly?"

Hermione thought on that a moment, but finally sunk her head in defeat and continued to work until it was time to go to Potions. "Do you want me to lug him around?"

Draco looked down at the soft fluffy Harry and shook his head. "No, I don't mind." Hiding Harry away in his robes, Draco exited the library with Hermione and made his way to Potions class.

--

Neither Draco nor Hermione thought to come up with an excuse for Harry's absence from class until Professor Snape came in looking furiously at Harry's empty chair. "Mr. Malfoy," he sneered, "can you kindly tell me why your partner declined to grace us with his famous presence?"

Draco shrugged. "I'm afraid I wouldn't know, sir," he replied, trying his best to look unaffected by the question.

"Well, if any of you _do_ see him," Snape gloated, looking directly at Hermione, "make sure he's aware he lost Gryffindor one hundred points." The Gryffindor students mumbled amongst themselves for a moment before Snape brandished his wand and bellowed for silence.

Once the students all quieted and went back to their bubbling liquids, Draco pulled Harry from his robes and set him on his lap. He was idly petting the bunny in his lap while adding to his Wolfsbane Potion report when a visitor in the form of Pansy took a seat beside him. Draco looked around for Snape, not wanting to draw more attention to himself, but the grumpy professor had stepped out of the classroom.

"What are you doing?" Draco chided in a whispered tone.

Pansy smirked and held out a letter, "This came for you at breakfast, but you weren't there." Handing it over she continued in a silky voice, "where were you?"

"None of your business!" Draco huffed angrily.

Pansy made a rude gesture and moved to get up, only just then spotting the tiny furry animal in Draco's lap. She instantly squealed with glee and reached for the bunny, only to be swatted away by Draco. Pansy was undeterred however and managed to pull the bunny from Draco's defenses and clutched it to her chest, cooing at him annoyingly.

"Oh, Draco! It's so cute! Where did you find it?" she exclaimed in a shrill baby voice.

Draco made a grab for Harry, but Pansy quickly moved him out of reach. "Again, it's none of your business. Now give him back!"

Pansy looked shocked. "_He_? Do you have a name for your little boy bunny, then?"

If looks could kill, Pansy would have been a foul smelling puddle on the floor. "Har… No, that would be silly," Draco muttered, making another unsuccessful swipe for the rabbit.

Pansy laughed cruelly. "Oh, I see. But carrying a bunny to Potions class isn't the least bit silly."

_She has me there. Still, if she only knew…_ "Pansy, give him back this instant!" His last grab proved fruitful in getting Harry back from her cloying embrace. He quickly tucked the bunny back into his robes, just as Snape burst back into classroom in a flurry of rage.

"Twenty points from Slytherin for being out of your seat, Miss Parkinson," he said slickly, before returning to his desk. She stood with a huff and stomped back to her own desk.

--

As Draco left the Potions classroom, he felt a small hand on his elbow pull him into a side corridor. "That was close, Malfoy." Hermione whispered as soon as they were out of earshot.

Draco sighed. "I know. I did everything I could, though. It's a good thing I kept his glasses in my pocket so that it just looked like a tiny bunny. I think the glasses would have been a dead giveaway that I have a tiny furry Harry in my pocket."

Hermione stifled a giggle and straightened herself in a more serious demeanor. "Look, maybe I should hold onto him for the rest of the day."

Draco looked down at the cute little bunny, "I don't know…"

"How about I keep him up in my room?" she offered.

Draco sighed. "I guess that might be easier than carrying him from class to class. When is your next free period?"

"After Transfiguration, you?"

"Same," Draco replied. "Get Harry and meet me in the Library afterwards, and we can work through lunch to try and revert him."

Hermione nodded, took the small furry animal from Draco, and hurried off toward her common room as Draco headed straight for Transfiguration.

--

Right after Transfigurations class, Draco made his way to the library, where he grabbed a couple of potion volumes and sat down at his usual table in the back. After he studied the index of the first book, Hermione entered looking worried and disheveled. Draco leapt to his feet and ran over to meet her.

"What happened? Where's Harry?" he demanded.

Hermione pulled him back to the table before handing over the small bunny. Draco took him without a word and cuddled him to his chest. "He's shaking like a leaf. What happened?"

Hermione fell unceremoniously into her chair and clutched her hand to her forehead as if to ward off a headache. "When I got to my room, I found Crookshanks trying to attack him. He had Harry cornered under a hutch in my room."

"You let Harry get attacked by that mangy creature?" Draco demanded angrily.

"Look," Hermione said through gritted teeth, "it's not as if I meant it to happen. I just didn't think about it. Let's just focus on getting him back to normal."

Draco glared at her furiously and opened the second book in his pile. He clutched Harry to his chest as he scoured the index of the large volume in front of him. He was interrupted by the sound of soft sobs coming from across the table. He looked up to see Hermione trying to focus on her book, while shaking with tears.

"Hermione, stop," Draco said, still angry but trying to muster the most neutral tone he could. "You didn't mean for anything to happen to him."

Hermione sniffled. "I know, but what if Crookshanks had…" She sobbed, unable to finish her sentence.

Draco reached across the table and touched her hand lightly. "It's alright. Harry's fine, just a little scared, and I'll take care of him until we find a cure. Everything's okay."

"Hermione smiled slightly through her tears. "Do you know how funny that is?" Draco just gave her a confused look and she continued, "Harry is safer with you, a Malfoy, than with me, his best friend."

Draco smirked as he realized how much had changed in such a short time. "I guess it is sort of funny."

They went back to their books, both a little less upset. "You had better hope Harry doesn't remember any of this, or he may fillet your cat."

Hermione just sniggered and continued to read.

--

"I found it!" Hermione shouted, startling Draco from his reading. It had been a quarter of the way into lunch and Draco was beginning to think they would never find a cure for Harry.

Draco looked up hopeful. "Well, what is it then?"

Hermione skimmed the passage one more time, "It's called Dasypodis potion. It's extremely rare because of the difficulty to brew, and turns the drinker into a small hare," she recited.

"But how to we reverse it?" Draco pleaded.

Hermione pouted and chewed on her bottom lip. "It doesn't say."

Draco sighed. "Well, at least it's a start. Now we just need to look at all references to that potion."

Hermione nodded and they got to work. They had almost run out of time before their next class when Draco found a passage that referenced the potion.


	9. Chapter 8 Past, Present & Future

Chapter 8 Past, Present & Future Chapter 8 Past, Present & Future

Draco trailed off from skimming the article and read it aloud for Hermione.

_Only speculation has been reported for most of the obstacles hidden within the Maze of the Gilded Soul. Just the first obstacle of the maze is documented for certain, having been passed by the only known person to have found and entered the maze. _

_Clifford Munds entered the maze only two years after its creation by Albus Dumbledore in 1962. He was later hospitalized and died of self inflicted wounds speculated to have originated from the first Trial. _

_Little is known about the maze or the supposed treasure to be found at the end, but what is known sounds ominous. Inside the maze are several obstacles with the exact number unknown. In addition to the obstacles there are three trials, each more difficult then the last._

_The first obstacle, believed to be the only obstacle before the first trial, consists of choosing a potion out of several options, the correct choice being the rare Dasypodis potion, which will allow the drinker to move further into the maze. It was said that Munds stayed in rabbit form for two weeks before a family member found him and contacted Albus Dumbledore for a cure._

"The Maze of the Gilded Soul, that sounds so familiar to me." Hermione mused.

Draco tapped the page annoyed. "More importantly, you were right, we should have gone to Dumbledore."

Hermione grinned. "Yes, that's true. Should we go now then?"

Draco nodded and the two took off toward the Headmaster's office.

--

Draco sat next to Hermione and across from the Headmaster, who was staring at the two with interest. "If you don't mind my saying so, this seems like a rather unlikely pairing."

Draco looked at Hermione then back to Dumbledore and shrugged. "It's a new development."

The elderly man chuckled. "So what brings you two by my office today?"

Draco produced Harry from his robes and set him carefully on Dumbledore's desk. The Headmaster watched curiously as the bunny looked around and hopped once toward him. "What's this?" he asked.

"Oh, wait." Draco muttered, fishing into his pockets, he produced a small pair of round glasses, which he placed upon the bunny's face.

"Oh dear." Dumbledore sighed. "Is this truly Mr. Potter?"

Draco and Hermione nodded in unison.

Dumbledore's brow furrowed and the twinkle departed from his bright blue eyes. "This is most unfortunate. How did this happen?"

Hermione and Draco looked at one another and both silently shrugged.

"I see." The Headmaster replied, glaring at first Draco, then Hermione. "What would you say if I told you I could not cure him unless I know how this happened?"

The pair exchanged another look, but this time Hermione spoke. "We think he may have taken the _Dasypodis_ potion."

The Headmaster narrowed his eyes. "And what makes you think that?"

"Because he's been in the Maze of the Gilded Soul." She replied.

Dumbledore's eyes went wide as he chortled. "That's impossible my dear. That maze has been locked up and hidden away since Voldemort's defeat sixteen years ago."

"We've been dreaming about it for over a month now." Draco responded, looking at Hermione, who's face showed the shock of him admitting the dreams.

Dumbledore tapped his fingers together in thought. "So you have been in the maze as well. You and Harry together?" Draco nodded, and Dumbledore continued, "Are you certain that it's the Maze of the Gilded Soul?"

Draco shrugged. "We found an article written about it in a book, which is how we discovered that you would be able to cure Harry."

"Did you examine the potion?" He asked, and Draco nodded. "Tell me about it."

"It was purple and smelled like carrots." Draco replied.

"Hmm." Dumbledore mumbled as he got up and paced about his office, muttering things such as, "Curious," and "Very interesting indeed," until Hermione interrupted his musings.

"Professor, what about Harry. Can you fix him?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. Finite Cuniculus Efficio" He declared, pointing his wand at the bunny on his desk.

At once the bunny grew in size and began to lose its fur and transform in shape, until the figure of Harry sat naked and awkward on top of Dumbledore's scrolls and paperwork.

Draco blushed and turned his head immediately, noticing Hermione had done the same. "Er, Professor…" Draco muttered.

"Oh yes, so sorry, Harry. I seemed to have forgotten that little side effect." He chuckled carrying over a robe for Harry to wrap himself in.

Harry stood on shaky legs and moved to stand behind the other two as the Headmaster took his seat again. Draco looked up at him and grinned. "You made a cute bunny."

Harry laughed and blushed, looking from him to Hermione. "Thanks for getting me back to normal. That was… odd."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and the trio all turned to give him their attention. "I want to make something clear. The maze is not a game, it very dangerous. I cannot stop you from returning, as it seems you may have some role to play here that has not been made clear to me yet. However, I do not condone it, and wish you to be very careful." Dumbledore looked directly at Harry, "More careful then imbibing a potion of unknown origin. Is that understood?"

Draco and Harry both nodded in unison.

The Headmaster continued to looked wary, but dismissed them all and set back to pacing his office.

--

Draco walked silently through the corridors toward his next class. Harry had rushed off to his room to get proper clothing, and Hermione left to go to Arithmancy. It had been a very strange morning, but turned out okay. Harry was back to normal, and they had even found out a little more about this maze he and Harry continuously dreamed about, which intrigued Hermione to no end. No doubt she should be back in the library after class doing more research.

At least the whole ordeal with Pansy hadn't caused too much trouble. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened if Snape had walked in a few minutes earlier. He probably would have confiscated Harry and never given him back. The thought of Pansy reminded him of the letter she had given him that morning. He dug into his robe pocket and pulled it out.

_My Darling Draco,_

_Your recent plan has come to the attention of the Dark Lord, and he has bid me to tell you to proceed. He is curious to find out what the Potter boy and his friends are hiding, and he gives you permission to do whatever is needed to infiltrate their plans. It has also come to our attention that you have already succeeded in getting the youngest Weasley boy expelled, and the Dark Lord commends you._

_Our Master has learned that Potter stays at Hogwarts over the holidays, and he wishes you to stay as well. I am sorry we will not spend this Christmas Holiday together, but we all must do what is needed of us. _

_My thoughts are with you always._

_Love,_

_Narsissa Malfoy_

Draco read over the letter several times before shoving it back into his pocket. Thrilled that his plan had worked, and that he had succeeded in being allowed to remain at Hogwarts, he had a new spring in his step as he entered the Divination classroom.

--

Harry came into the classroom shortly after Draco and took a seat beside him. Any other time Draco would have been worried about causing too much attention, but after reading the letter from his mother, he knew that it wouldn't matter now. Even if rumors got back to Voldemort that Draco was acting chummy with Harry, it would just be assumed that he was following orders. Draco's life had just become considerably less complicated, unless of course, you took into account the maze of doom, and his burgeoning homosexuality. In which case his life was still terribly complicated.

"So, how does it feel to not be a bunny?" Draco whispered.

Harry grinned. "I feel taller."

"Do you remember anything?" Draco asked nervously. He wasn't sure what he would think if Harry had been able to remember his actions as bunny keeper. Even now he felt a twinge of embarrassment for the way he constantly petted and protected the animal shaped Harry.

Harry's smile faltered as Trelawney entered the room looking distant and maybe even slightly intoxicated. "Today we will be learning the ancient art of Tarot." She addressed to the class. She levitated around several thick leather bound books throughout the room. "Inside these books you will find a deck of Tarot cards and an interpretation handbook. I want you to each try a reading of your partner. I will be around to check your progress."

Draco grabbed the floating book and turned to Harry slightly fearful. He was fairly sure that Harry had no talent in Divination, but he didn't want any of his secrets revealed just yet, and certainly not in the middle of class.

Harry took the book and began shuffling through the cards. "Do you want to do me first?"

Draco's mouth dropped open momentarily until he understood the actual meaning behind his question. "Erm, sure."

Harry smiled and handed the cards over to his partner. After skimming over the first chapter of the book, Harry started to tell Draco about what he was reading. "So, it seems there are a few different ways to lay out the card formation, and each one gives a different kind of prediction. Most of them say I need to ask a question first."

"What's your question?" he asked.

Harry laughed, "Oh no, you don't get off that easy. I'm not supposed to tell you the question, that way your reading is unbiased."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine, what formation should we use then?"

Harry flipped back and forth between two pages then finally said, "How about the past, present and future spread? It's only three cards."

Draco shrugged. "Sounds fine to me. How does it work?"

Harry took his hands, which were holding the cards, and spread them out to form a fan. Neither boy could see the direction or face of the card. "Now I pick three and hand them to you, and you place them face down in a row."

Draco took each of Harry's selections and laid them each on the table and then put the deck to the side. "Now what?"

"Turn them over starting with the card to your left." Harry replied, still looking at the page with the directions. Draco obeyed and Harry continued, "The first card symbolizes my past. Which card is it?"

"Nine of Pentacles, but its upside down." Draco replied. "What does it mean?"

"That card reversed means feelings of insecurity; withdrawing from the world." Harry seemed to mull it over and eventually just nodded. "Okay, what's the second card?"

"Ace of Swords."

Harry looked through the book until he arrived at the description page for that card. "This one means the strong beginnings of something; going after something new with gusto. That's the present card, so that's what's going on right now."

Draco just looked confused. "Does any of this mean anything to you?"

Harry smiled. "Maybe it will come together in the end. What's the last card?"

"The Two of Cups" Draco said as he looked at the two decorative golden cups stacked one on top of the other on the face of the card.

"That one means A union of two people; the formation of a new relationship between friends or lovers." Harry muttered shyly.

"So did it answer your question?" Draco asked curiously?

Harry's cheeks turned to a light shade of pink. "I think so." He handed the book over to Draco and reshuffled the deck, holding it out for Draco to choose. "Okay, your turn."

Draco sighed and chose three cards, holding his question firmly in his mind. _Can Harry and I be together? _He handed his cards over one by one and watched as Harry flipped the first over. He turned to the description of the first card. "Four of Cups, this card represents dissatisfaction with the status quo; the questioner wants something more in life, but doesn't quite know what it is."

"Sounds like that might be true." Harry replied observantly.

Draco nodded and moved onto the next card. "Nine of Wands Represents being cautious about something; knowing when to be careful."

"What are you being cautious about?" Harry inquired.

"None of your business" Draco responded with a fake haughty demeanor, causing Harry to smirk. "Okay, onto my future." Draco turned over the final card. "What?" Draco looked confused at the card before him.

"The fool!" Harry said laughing lightly. "But it's reversed, so what does that mean?"

"It means I'm brilliant." Draco responded, but flipped to that page in the book regardless. He was silent while reading the passage and remained silent afterward.

"Well!" Harry prodded, nudging Draco slightly under the table. "What is it?"

"The Fool reversed can mean cautiousness; could also mean taking a chance that didn't or will not work out for you" Draco said, his voice empty of all emotion.

"Oh" Harry said, sounding equally despondent.

Draco quickly put the cards back in the deck, no longer wishing to look at them. _I was being naive. A few months ago I never would have let myself worry about something so stupid._ Draco barely even noticed the professor dismissing them until he felt Harry's hand, warm and firm on his arm.

"Are you okay? Don't pay any attention to this stuff." Harry said, gesturing towards the cards on the table.

Draco placed a carefully blank mask over his features. "What? No I'm fine."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I know that look."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter."

Harry sighed. "So were back to Potter again, huh? In the maze it was Harry."

"I don't recall having ever called you Harry. Why is it so important?" trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Harry just shook his head in disgust. "Just forget it, Malfoy." He got up and left the classroom, leaving Draco behind to stare after him.

--


	10. Chapter 9 Tangible Nightmares

Chapter 9 Tangible Nightmares Chapter 9 Tangible Nightmares

Harry stood under the tree looking out over the wide expanse of frozen lake before him. He marveled at how it seemed so long ago that he had rescued Draco from this very place, but it couldn't have been more then a month before. So much had changed since then.

The visions Voldemort sent him while he slept were getting worse. The maze he entered with Draco was a helpful reprieve from watching families tortured, abducted and killed right before his eyes. So far no one he knew was at the monsters mercy, but it still pained him to hear their cries. He knew that the time would come soon enough, that he would have to deal with Voldemort directly, and he held that notion in the back of his heart at all times. Was he strong enough to sacrifice himself for a world that had always treated him poorly? If it came down to it, would he put his own life on the line?

Yes.

Not because he had a hero complex, or because he wanted fame and fortune, but because it was the right thing to do. Sacrifice one to save many. It only made sense. What was his singular sixteen-year-old life worth in the grand scheme of things? He didn't have a family, or very many friends. He didn't have love.

Or did he?

His feeling for Draco had gotten more confusing then ever over the past few weeks. From hatred to pity to distrust to caring to… what did he feel for him now?

He was no doubt attracted to the beautiful Slytherin, though he had never had a leaning toward the male persuasion, it was an easy feeling for his to discern. It wasn't like he had felt with Cho, but it had a similar flavor. It was much more powerful however. There had always been a tension between them, and recently Harry had started to wonder if it had always been this. This heat that made him blush like an idiot.

The one thing he was completely uncertain of was Draco's feelings. Sometimes he seemed to feel the same, then there was the feeling he got sometimes that made it seem like he just wanted to be buddies. Then there was what happened in Divination earlier, when he just shut him out completely.

"Arg!" Harry shouted aloud, entirely frustrated and confused.

"It does no good to shout at the air. It never listens." Came a thick unmistakable drawl.

Harry turned around to find himself looking at the blonde Slytherin as he slinked up the slope to stand beside him. Draco leaned into him resting his right shoulder against Harry's left. "I'm sorry I suck." He muttered.

Harry chuckled, feeling another piece fall into the Malfoy puzzle. Draco made him laugh, and in these times, Harry rarely even smiled. Not since Sirius. Not since the prophecy. Even tricky evil mazes seemed lighter and brighter when Draco was with him.

"What was your tarot question?" Harry asked.

Draco smirked, "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Harry laughed again. "Well then never mind."

Draco reached into his pocked and pulled out a small basket about the size of his thumb. "Hungry?"

Harry looked confused. "For a cracker? What is that?"

Draco laughed and enlarged it with his wand, and with another spell unfurled a blanket on the ground. "I wanted to come out here and make nice, but I was starving." He said while gesturing at the lavish picnic setting he just created in the snow.

Harry's heart skipped a beat as he looked into Draco's bright silver eyes. After a quick warming charm, the boys sat down and ate the sandwiches and hot apple cider Draco had drummed up from the kitchens. Harry knew that the road ahead was going to be rough, but it would be nice to have someone to love him for him, if he lived through the war, but could he dare to hope for that with Draco?

--

The boys were finishing their dinner when a dot appeared on the horizon. They sat and waited until the approaching figure revealed itself to be Hermione. She hurried over to the boys, with a mangy orange cat in tow.

Draco watched Harry's reaction closely as the Gryffindor glared menacingly at the approaching pair. Slightly confused at first he realized one Hermione sat down, that his glare was for the cat, not for his friend. A piece clicked in his brain and Draco shuddered. "You remember being a bunny."

Harry and Hermione both looked at Draco, the first with embarrassment and the second with confusion. "You said he couldn't understand us, that he didn't respond when you asked him to this morning." Hermione blubbered.

"Harry?" Draco narrowed his eyes menacingly at the boy he had just been sharing a nice meal with.

Harry looked everywhere he could not to meet the now cold gray eyes. "Erm. I remember it. I remember all of it."

Draco sighed and held his head in his hands. "So what now?"

Harry shrugged.

"But I… I" Draco stammered, completely embarrassed.

"Harry, I'm so sorry!" Hermione interrupted. "I should have thought about Crookshanks." She was on the verge of tear and both boys reached over to put a hand on her knee, and grazed each other's hands in the process.

Feeling the spark light up again, Draco pulled back immediately, still not sure if he should trust the tarot reading. He didn't know what to make of it. Part of him thought he should just disregard the reading as bullocks, but the first two were so accurate. From what he could tell, the reading was basically telling him that there was potential with Harry, but that he would somehow foul it all up. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be, he was a Malfoy after all.

--

Harry followed the well-trod path through the forest and into the maze of hedges. He hoped that the passage he had opened in bunny form was still open, and was relieved to find it so. He took a seat on the ground near the opening and waited for Draco to join him. He was soon rewarded for his patience, as Draco's lithe form cautiously approached the opening.

"Took you long enough." Harry sighed with a smile.

Draco rolled his eyes and offered his hand to Harry. As he accepted, the spark ignited between them once again, only this time neither boy let go, and Draco easily pulled Harry to his feet. They stood there holding hands for a moment longer then was necessary, but it went unnoticed.

"I suppose we move along then?" Harry suggested as he gestured to the newly opened maze.

Draco shrugged, but started walking toward a new fork in the path. "You seem to have a better sense of direction in this thing. Which way?"

Without a word Harry took the path leading right with Draco in close step behind him.

"How do you do that?" Draco asked, coming up to walk on Harry's left side.

"Do what?"

"Know which way to go, without even thinking about it?" Draco replied.

Harry laughed. "We don't know if I'm right yet."

"True, but you've done this a dozen times now, and so far you always make the correct choice." Draco thought about this and nodded, believing it to be wholly true. Even when Draco was the one to decide, he had based his decisions on Harry's actions.

Harry tried to smile, but was finding it hard to come up with a reply. "I can just… feel the right path."

Harry turned around to face Draco who had just stopped in the middle of the path at hearing his answer. "What do you mean you can feel it?"

Harry leaned against the thick shrubbery of the wall beside him and shrugged. "It's a little hard to explain. When I'm here, I can feel this pull towards whatever is at the center. It's like I'm… connected to it somehow."

"What is it? At the center, I mean? Can you tell?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I can just feel a familiar energy moving me forward. It's a little unnerving to say the least."

Draco smiled. "At least I'm not the only one you creep out."

Harry laughed mockingly and jabbed Draco playfully in the gut, which he realized with too much pleasure, was firm and smooth under his robes. Harry shook his head to clear away further thoughts of what Draco looked like under his robes. Doubting the Slytherin would be interested in what he was thinking, Harry instead started back to walking along the path.

--

Draco followed behind Harry for what seemed like hours, making turns here and there, but mostly following a narrow path between what looked like the same stretch of hedges on either side of them. Draco looked back at one point and saw that the path seemed to go on for miles behind them.

While they plodded along, Draco's mind shifted to other things. Most of which involved the trim form of the Gryffindor walking ahead of him. Draco tried to recall any gay relationship he could in the wizarding world, but came up with nothing substantial. Every once in awhile Witch Weekly would spread gossip about a witch or wizard who hadn't dated in awhile, but it was usually proved false soon enough. His father had even told him once that Dumbledore was rumored to be of "that persuasion" he had recalled him saying.

He knew his family would find it disgraceful if they knew the thoughts that plagued his mind. Thoughts of moaning and flesh and piercing green eyes filled his head almost every time he looked at his unlikely paramour. He knew the main reasoning his parents would be opposed was based on the fact that Draco was the sole Malfoy heir. If Draco didn't reproduce, then the Malfoy line would end with him. It was a large responsibility, and one he knew he couldn't overlook too easily.

Draco was pulled from his thoughts abruptly as he crashed into Harry, who had for some unknown reason stopped. Before Draco could make a snide comment however, he could feel Harry shuddering with fear, and instinctively snaked his arms around Harry's waist in order to comfort him.

Peering over Harry's shoulder he saw what would probably be a vision from one of Harry's nightmares. Standing in the entrance way to another large clearing was Sirius Black.

--


	11. Chapter 10 The First Trial

Chapter 10 The First Trial Chapter 10 The First Trial

Draco stood stiffly with a trembling Harry in his arms and stared directly into the dark sunken eyes of Sirius Black. He could feel Harry chokingly trying to speak, but no words escaped the boy's lips, so Draco shifted Harry behind him, so that he would no longer have to look upon the image of his dead godfather.

It was then that Draco could get a full sense of their surroundings. Behind the figure of Sirius was a crumbling stone arch, which lead into a clearing, much like the one that held the potions previously. However, the view of the clearing was largely obscured by thick ominous fog.

The prone form of Sirius seemed to be boring holes through Draco so as to stare fully into Harry's green eyes. Draco stepped forward, his hand locked with Harry's and he pulled them both toward the archway.

As they got closer, Draco noticed that Sirius did not move, and seemed to be fading and flickering as the light changed around them. "A specter." Draco whispered feeling a thick wave of dread pass over him.

Draco's words seemed to shake Harry into reality, and he clung fiercely to Draco's hand. "Just a specter." Harry repeated after him, seemingly relieved. Draco knew however, that a specter was often made of a dark magic.

The specter of Sirius seemed shrouded in darkness, certainly not here in the true sense, but no less formidable looking. When they were only steps away, the figure held up a wavering hand. "You have reached the first trial." It stated in a phantom like voice, not Sirius's at all. This seemed to relax Harry slightly, as the boy stopped digging his nails into Draco's palm.

"This is the Trial of Fear. Only those truly able to master their fear should proceed, because only they will be permitted to pass through into the other side. Any found unworthy, will be cast into dark and madness." It continued.

Draco looked over at Harry who only nodded solemnly, and hand in hand they walked through the ghostlike figure of Harry's godfather and into the fog.

--

Harry immediately lost sight of Draco in the thickness of the fog, and only knew he was still with him from the sound of his hitched breath, and the feel of his warm hand in his own. They kept walking, unable to see to find their way, but Harry still had that unearthly pull directing him.

Harry heard a scream in the blindness and then two things happened at once. Harry felt a wave of horror wash over him, as Draco's fingertips slipped out of his grasp, and then he felt himself plummeting downward into a chasm. He hit the ground roughly and only had time to think that he may have broken something before his world went black.

--

Harry retched violently onto the ground upon opening his eyes. The moon was bright and high as Harry looked around the familiar surroundings. The Riddle Cemetery. Circled all around him were Death Eaters and right beside him, the one who had kicked him so hard it made him throw up the contents of his stomach, was Voldemort. With a flick of his wand he had Harry floating in the air, and it was then that Harry knew for certain that something in his leg was broken. He winced at the pain, but tried to otherwise keep his eyes and attentionon the evil man standing before him.

"So nice of you to drop in, Harry." Voldemort cackled, which seemed to give the Death Eaters permission to laugh as well.

Looking around Harry saw that some of the Death Eaters held a captive whose head was covered in a black cloth. Harry wondered vaguely who had been captured, but feared he would find out soon enough.

"I see you've noticed our other guests. Would you like to see who they are?" The creature asked as Nagini took her place around Voldemort's shoulders like a giant feather boa.

With a nod from his master, the first Death Eater took off the cloth covering the captive they held to reveal a young girl, with bushy brown hair and features that would have been pretty, if not covered in cuts and bruises. "Hermione." Harry shouted, trying to rent himself free of the magical hold he was under. He didn't have a chance to utter another word however before the next person was unveiled as Ron. The red head spat up at Harry, "This is all your fault!"

Harry was confused, and injured. How had Voldemort gotten to his friends? Even after his falling out with Ron, he never would have wished such a nasty fate upon him. He thought that Hermione at least would have been protected within the walls of the castle.

Harry shrank away and looked to his right, where another set of captives was being revealed. "Mom, Dad?" Harry cried, eyes large with confusion. "How are you here?"

Green eyes met Harry's own as he looked to his mother, tied up along side his father. "You'll never be strong enough to defeat him, Harry."

"Listen to your mother, son. Just let him kill you, then you can be with us." James pleaded solemnly.

"No!" Harry screamed. "I am strong enough. I will win this war, even if it kills me!"

At Harry's words, the cemetery and everything in it began to vanish. Harry fell with a thud and groaned, clutching his injured leg. He thought of Draco, and what might be happening to him, and then lost consciousness once again.

--

Draco was filled with a sense of terror, smothering him and crushing him. Once Harry's hand had slipped away, the fog faded and he found a dozen or more dementors surrounding him. He was lying on the floor of an Azkaban cell and the more he tried to remember Harry, the more his head throbbed with pain. The dementors were sucking the memories of Harry away, leaving him alone and empty in his cell.

But he wasn't alone.

He looked up to see another man lying in the corner of the cell. He was wearing what looked to have once been expensive robes that had been ripped to shreds. His hair was gray and dirty. When the man looked up at him, Draco recognized him immediately.

"Father" Draco tried to shout, but the words barely left his lips. He crawled over to his father and laid his head in his lap, letting the dementors close in around them. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you father. I did everything I could." The tears he felt well into his eyes never came, but the cloaked black figures looming around him began to dissipate leaving Draco clutching thin air.

Looking around he was back in the clearing, and he could vividly recall his Gryffindor again. He saw a bundled lump on the ground close to the exit and ran over to find Harry laying deathly still.

--

"Harry, wake up." Draco pleaded, shaking the pale limp figure on the ground. He turned him over and gasped at the sight of Harry's usually brilliant emerald eyes, staring up dull and unblinking.

"No!" Draco shouted. "I will not lose you!" He pressed his ear to Harry's face and felt rather then heard his breathing come in shallow gasps. Draco calmed slightly, but clutched the boy to his chest and kissed him tenderly on the forehead.

It was difficult, because he and Harry were similar in size, but he managed to lift the boy from the ground and walk with him through the clearings exit. Only turning when he heard a stone door slide closed behind him.

--


	12. Chapter 11 Broken Kiss

Chapter 11 Broken Kiss

**Chapter 11 Broken Kiss**

Draco could faintly smell oranges and leather. He breathed deeply to soak up the scent and rolled over to find it stronger. He wasn't ready to wake up yet; he just wanted to roll around in the sweet musky fragrance coating his sheets. He stretched his arms out in a languid motion and hit something warm and solid. His eyes popped open revealing messy black hair resting on a Slytherin green pillow. As he watched his sheets rise with slow and shallow breathing, the events of the maze pushed their way into his conscious mind.

Harry.

Draco looked around the dorm room in a panic, but as usual it was clearly very early as no one else was yet awake. He quickly pulled the curtains surrounding his bed to enclose them fully, and cast a silencing charm. "Harry." He whispered fervently trying to rouse the sleeping Gryffindor; though he had no idea how he would sneak him out once he did wake him.

Draco leaned over to shake him awake, but Harry shifted in his sleep and threw his arm over Draco, cuddling into him. Draco went rigid for a moment, but slowly relaxed in the other boys grip, shifting to press more of his body against Harry's. The smell and feel of Harry wrapped around him filled Draco with a sense of comfort and happiness that he had never before experienced. He closed his eyes and let the feeling possess him and smiled when he heard Harry making little groaning noises in his sleep, his hot breath on Draco's neck sending shivers down his spine. It wasn't long before he drifted once again into a warm deep sleep.

--

Harry blinked his eyes in the darkness, but was still unable to see a single thing. His glasses sat skewed on his face, and he was pressed deeply against someone who smelled of mint and grass. It reminded him vaguely of flying and for a moment he lost himself in the scent, forgetting that he didn't know where he was, or whom he was cuddling.

He was jolted out of this peace however, when the body beside him shifted and moaned, pressing harder into Harry's stomach and erection. "Well this is going to be embarrassing." Harry mumbled to himself, almost certain now that it had to be Malfoy in bed with him; though he had no idea how it happened.

His notion was confirmed when the Slytherin opened his eyes, revealing glowing silver eyes in the darkness. Draco jumped slightly at the sight of him, but seemed less confused then Harry felt. "Hey." He groaned, voice thick with sleep. The sound of it made Harry's erection jump, and a slow smirk played across the Slytherin's lips. "Is that a snake in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"

Harry rolled his eyes and started to move away from him, but Draco grabbed his face and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Harry jerked back, startled and Draco began to stumble an apology, but Harry cut him off, pressing his lips against the Slytherin's. Harry smiled against his lips as he felt Draco's swift reaction to the kiss.

This was nothing like he had experienced with Cho, who blubbered through the entire ordeal. Draco's lips were firm and rough and felt solid against his own. He let Draco's tongue gain entrance and they explored each other's mouths for what seemed like an eternity. Draco moved to straddle him, but stopped abruptly as Harry let out a small scream of pain, clutching his leg.

The memory of his fall in the maze flooded back to him at once as he looked down at his swollen leg. "I think I broke it in the maze." He said, wincing from the pain.

Draco seemed to be thinking but finally just muttered, "Shit." Harry looked at him confused and he continued. "I have no idea how to get you out of here. You can't even walk."

Harry bit hard on his bottom lip. The pain was excruciating. "Go… get… Hermione." He pleaded between heavy breaths.

"Right." Draco nodded, as if it had clearly been the obvious thing to do. He cast a quick concealment charm, so that if anyone shifted the curtains they wouldn't notice him right away and after quickly kissing Harry's forehead, bolted out the door.

--

Draco noticed as he left that the dorm and common room were empty, which meant that they had woken up late. He went immediately to the Great Hall and sighed with relief as he heard the bustling noise from within. At least he wasn't too late to grab Granger. He walked straight over to the Gryffindor table to where Hermione sat, nibbling on a piece of toast and reading the Daily Profit.

"Granger. I need a word. Outside" Draco stated quick and to the point.

He was surprised when the hall erupted in whispers and laughing until he looked down to find that he was still in his bedclothes. Draco found himself blushing furiously as Hermione stifled a giggle and followed him promptly into the empty corridor outside.

"Rough night?" She asked immediately after the large doors slammed shut.

"The roughest." Draco replied with a sly smirk. He quickly sobered and relayed the emergency situation to Hermione who started pacing and tapping her wand rhythmically against her leg.

Finally she stopped. "The invisibility cloak. You can through it over him and levitate him to the Hospital Wing." She smiled; seemingly quite proud of herself, but then suddenly frowned.

"What?" Draco demanded, "That seemed like a brilliant idea."

"Well is would be," She replied sullenly, "except its in Harry's trunk, and I can't get into the boys dormitory."

"Ah." Draco sighed, leaning against the wall and sliding down to the floor. "I'm sunk."

Hermione went back to pacing and after a while a small smile erupted on her face. "You could get it," she said simply.

"Me?" he laughed. "How the hell am I supposed to worm my way into a common room filled with Gryffindor's?"

She grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet; "You can do it now, while they are all eating breakfast."

Draco recalled his own empty common room and thought it was worth a shot, so the unlikely pair made their way to the Fat Lady's portrait as fast as they could.

--

As they approached the portrait, Hermione signaled for Draco to wait, as she went in and checked the common room. As she peaked her head back out of the portrait hole she whispered, "The coast is clear." And waved Draco inside.

The Gryffindor common room sat in stark contrast to his own. Aside from the obvious decorating and color choices, this room was warm and inviting, where the Slytherin common room was cold and dank.

Draco slipped in quietly and Hermione pointed to the boy's dorm entrance. He made his way carefully up the staircase, onto the landing an in front of the door. His pulse was racing as he reached out and tentatively turned the knob. A wave of relief washed over him as he discovered that no spells would stop his entry.

Now that he was inside the room Draco was stumped. Which trunk was Harry's? He had to hurry, but there were no distinguishing characteristics to any of the trunks. They weren't exactly identical, but they were close to it. After checking the contents of the first trunk, he noticed a picture on one of the bedside tables of Harry, Hermione and Ron standing side-by-side and waving. "That's got to be Harry's bed." Draco muttered to himself.

He quickly opened the trunk at the foot of that bed and rummaged through until he found the cloak. Just as he did he heard footsteps on the landing outside. Draco slipped the cloak over himself and quietly moved into a corner.

The door opened and Neville walked into the room, made a beeline for what Draco assumed was his bed, and began looking through his nightstand drawer. He left the room again just as quickly and closed the door behind him.

Draco resumed breathing, thankful that Neville chose not to remain in the room; he didn't have the faintest idea how he would have gotten out if Neville had stayed.

He cracked open the dormitory door and after a quick survey of the landing he quietly crept from the room. For fun he snuck up behind Hermione, who was biting her nails nervously and watching the portrait hole, and tickled her causing her to shriek in alarm and elbow him roughly in the ribs.

"Well, you obviously got what you came for, now lets go." She growled through gritted teeth.

Once outside in the main corridor Draco slipped off the cloak and bunched it in his hand.

"Now that I think of it," Hermione mused, "I could have just sent Neville in after it."

Draco just shot her a dirty look and took off towards the dungeons.

_--_


	13. Chapter 12 Malfoy Charm

Chapter 12 Malfoy Charm

**Author's notes: My brilliant Beta is MIA for a while, but I decided to post some of these chapters anyhow, so please let me know if you see any bad errors, or if you know someone who may be interested in temporarily beta-ing this story until my Animus Complexio sister gets some free time. ******** The next couple of chapters will be a little slower as we are getting deeper into the story. Many thanks to all that have commented! I love reading what people think about the story. **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of the recognized content within this story**_._

**Chapter 12 Malfoy Charm**

Harry lay in the Slytherin dormitory waiting for Draco to return. His mind was reeling from the events of the past few hours. His leg was still throbbing, but he found that as long as he kept it very still, he could think past the pain. He only hoped that someone didn't come snooping and find him here completely helpless.

Even though he had spent the last few hours being attacked by an illusion of Voldemort, broken his leg, and woken up in the Slytherin dorm room, all he could focus on was that kiss. His heart beat faster just thinking about it. It had taken him completely by surprise, not just that it happened, but also how much his body had reacted to the kiss. He was in for it now, thoroughly smitten with a Slytherin. All he could hope for now was that Draco felt the same way about him.

Harry's thoughts drifted to the dream maze. It was an odd occurrence, and it worried him that even Dumbledore seemed stumped by the fact that Draco and Harry seemed to dream their way into it. Another issue was the fact that this was the second time he had awoken in Draco's bed. Did he sleep walk there? If so, it was only a matter of time before he was caught and that wouldn't bode well for either of them.

The thing that worried him most however, was the fact that he felt Voldemort there with him in the last dream. He couldn't be certain; because the maze was constantly playing tricks on his mind, but he could swear he felt him, in the way he would sometimes when Voldemort projected into his head. It filled him with a nauseating sense of foreboding. He would have to discuss it with Hermione and Draco.

Harry heard a noise and went silent, holding his breath and listening to see if he could tell who it was. After a moment a platinum blonde head stuck through the curtain and grinned at him. Harry exhaled as relief swept over him. "Took you long enough." He said with a smile.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Just wait till I tell you what happened, but first, let's get you out of enemy territory."

Harry nodded enthusiastically, and before he could say anything else, Draco flung the invisibility cloak over his body. A quick muttered spell had Harry floating through the air, and he clamped his jaw shut to hold back the pain from his leg.

"I'm really sorry if this hurts, but we have to get you to Pomfrey." Draco whispered once they were out into the corridor.

"I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose." Harry whispered back.

--

They made it to the hospital wing with very few obstacles. At one point Harry was floating about eight feet in the air when Draco had to lift him over several students rushing to class. Once outside the entrance, Draco removed the cloak and carried Harry the rest of the way. He kissed Harry quickly on the forehead and smiled at Harry's responding grin.

As soon as he opened the door they were greeted with a concerned looking Madame Pomfrey. She ushered them to the closest bed and Draco carefully laid him down.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, it seems you two keep coming across one another injured." She looked at them both suspiciously. "Does either of you care to tell me how this happened?"

"I fell down the stairs."

"He fell down the stairs." They each replied simultaneously and grinned at one another. The look on Madame Pomfrey's face showed she didn't believe them for one second, but she didn't press the issue.

"I'll take it from here Mr. Malfoy, you can go to class." Draco nodded and with a wink to Harry he left the hospital ward and headed for Potions.

--

Draco was late to class, and this elicited a sneer from Professor Snape, and ten points from Slytherin. Draco went straight to work on the Wolfsbane potion and took extra notes for Harry.

As he stirred the bubbling green potion his thoughts drifted to that of the green eyed Gryffindor he found himself so suddenly fond of. For a sheer second, Draco had though Harry was dead, when he found him in the maze. The idea had wrenched his heart in two, like nothing he had ever thought he could feel. A close second was when he thought Harry had rejected him this morning. Then suddenly everything flipped around and Draco was happier then he had ever been pressed against Harry's body and kissing him deeply.

Is this love? Draco quickly shook off the thought. What Draco loved could be easily held against him. This much Voldemort proved by holding his mother captive with threats to her life should Draco not do exactly as he asked. He wouldn't let that happen to Harry. Though if he really thought about it, it was already happening. At some point, Harry would have to face him, and it was a very distinct possibility that Harry would die.

The thought made Draco feel empty and depressed, as if it had already happened.

Draco was pulled from his thoughts as students around him began to pack up. Looking at the clock he realized it was time to go, so he put away his notes and packed away his own things.

"Before you go," Snape began, "you need to put a stasis spell on your potions. As this is the last day before you leave for holiday, it is needed so that the potion remains viable."

There was a collective muttering of stasis spells, and Snape walked around the class making certain they had been cast correctly. He approached Draco's desk last. "Mr. Malfoy, I'll need to see you after class." Draco only nodded and Snape made his way back to his desk.

--

Harry opened his eyes; having drifted off to sleep after taking the potion Madame Pomfrey gave him to heal his leg. It was bound with cloth and a splint to keep it from bending, and it already started to feel better.

The door to the hospital wing opened, but instead of the healer he had expected, the doorway revealed Dumbledore. Harry shifted uncomfortably as Dumbledore made his way over, shaking his head. "This is your idea of being careful?" He asked, pulling up a chair so he was sitting eye level with Harry.

Harry shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "It wasn't on purpose."

Dumbledore shook his head again. "That much is obvious." His piercing blue eyes watched Harry with concern. "I take it you have completed the first trial?"

Harry nodded. "Draco too."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I saw him in a hurry to get to class, and then Poppy came and told me of your predicament." The Headmaster was quiet for a moment, but soon continued. "At least it's only a broken leg, but Harry I must implore you to be more careful. The maze is going to continue to get more difficult."

Harry looked confused for a moment. "Can't you just tell us what to watch out for? I mean you made the maze right?"

The Headmaster nodded solemnly. "I did, yes, a long time ago. The maze is constructed with a very ancient magic, and it is not a prize it protects in the center, but something very dangerous that should never be wielded."

"What is it?" Harry asked curiously.

Dumbledore lifted his hand as if to hold back the question. "I would like to tell you, Harry, but I am bound to an unbreakable vow not to speak of it."

Harry sighed sulkily. "Can you tell me anything about it? Why am I dreaming about it? Why is Draco?"

Dumbledore held up his hand again to the barrage of questions and chuckled, the soft twinkle returning to his brilliant blue eyes. "Patience Harry. Of course I will tell you what I can."

Harry smiled and sat back to listen to the Headmaster speak.

As I said before, the maze is constructed of very powerful and very old magic. I didn't create it alone completely alone. I had the help of some of the original Order members."

Harry's face lit up but Dumbledore interrupted his happiness. "No Harry, not your parents. There was an Order of the Phoenix before they joined. However, your grandparents were part of the original Order." He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking something important.

Harry tried no to rush him, but the suspense was killing him. "In fact, during the time of the maze creation, Abraxas Malfoy, Draco's grandfather, was a part of the Order. He later turned out to be a spy for Voldemort." Dumbledore mused. "Thinking it over, I believe you and Draco may be the last living decedents of the original Order that assisted me with the maze… curious."

"Is that how we're linked then? How we share the same dream?" Harry asked excitedly.

"It could very well be, my boy." Dumbledore answered. "What worries me is what may be causing it. You see the maze is different for each person who enters it. It is also designed so that no single person can complete it alone, and as I'm sure you can already tell, there must be a certain level of trust between the people who enter the maze, and that trust is tested and must hold throughout, or you both could lose your lives to it."

"Can I ask you something?" Harry asked tentatively, not quite sure how to explain it even if he got permission.

"Of coarse, Harry." Dumbledore chuckled.

"Does the maze… was the maze created because of Voldemort?" Harry asked finally.

The Headmaster smiled, but it was a sad smile. "Very clever, Harry. Very clever. I cannot answer that question without breaking the vow, but suffice it to say, you are on the right track. Why do you ask?"

"Well, in the first task, it was an illusion of him that tried to kill me." Harry replied.

Dumbledore nodded. "That's to be expected. The first task being about mastering your fear, it only makes sense that you would fear Voldemort."

Harry nodded. "I thought so as well, but even after the illusion of him dissipated, I could still feel him. The same way as when he projected his thoughts into my head."

Dumbledore went quiet and still. "I see." He said after a few moments. "This is all very troubling; I fear he may be the one projecting you both into the maze. He wants what is at the center, and he wants one of you to retrieve it for him."

"But why? He couldn't possibly think I would let him have something he wanted. Especially not after last year at the Ministry." Harry said dumbfounded.

Dumbledore shook his head. "No Harry, I doubt very much that he is relying on you to give it to him. He probably thinks that if you remove it from the maze, he could get the item, or…"

"Or what?" Harry persisted.

"Or, there is always Draco. He still believes Draco to be loyal to him." Dumbledore said at last.

"But he's not!" Harry shouted. "Draco's not like his father."

Dumbledore put a calming hand on Harry's shoulder, and stood up to leave. "Just be careful, Harry. Many have fallen pray to the Malfoy charm, only to be hurt in the end."

--


	14. Chapter 13 Waylaid

Chapter 13 Waylayed

**Author's notes: My brilliant Beta is MIA for a while, but I decided to post some of these chapters anyhow, so please let me know if you see any bad errors, or if you know someone who may be interested in temporarily beta-ing this story until my Animus Complexio sister gets some free time. ****J**** Many thanks to all that have commented! I love reading what people think about the story. **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of the recognized content within this story**_._

**Chapter 13 Waylaid**

Draco stood in front of Professor Snape's desk for what felt like and eon before the sallow teacher finally acknowledged his existence. When he did finally look up, his eyes were not friendly.

"Why wasn't Potter in my class today?" He asked bitterly.

"He broke his leg and he's in the hospital wing." Draco replied blandly.

Snape quirked an eyebrow at this, "Yesterday he did not attend my class and you insisted that you wouldn't possibly know why. What happened between then and now?"

Draco didn't know how to answer that without lying to his Head of House, and Draco knew that Snape was gifted at detecting lies. So instead he shrugged elegantly and pretended to be offended by the question.

"I see. Well then maybe you can explain why you arrived at breakfast this morning still in your night clothes?"

"I could," Draco replied indignantly, "but I would rather not."

Snape narrowed his eyes and growled, "Well you had better start explaining something. I am to give a report of your behavior to your mother and the Dark Lord tomorrow, and they will not be pleased with what I have to say as of late." He stood, straightening his robes. "Gallivanting about with Potter will not endear you to the Dark Lord."

Draco shrugged nonplussed, "Are you sure? Because the last note I received from Mother told me that it was exactly that type of behavior he expected to see."

Snape blinked several times in shock, but didn't argue. "So you would be comfortable with my relaying how close you and Potter are getting?"

Draco smirked. "I would be fine with you telling the Dark Lord that Harry and I are friends."

Snape's lip twitched in what Draco could only assume was his version of a smile. "Friends eh?" Draco nodded, and Snape spoke again. "Do you kiss all your friends?"

Draco paled, but then grew furious. "Get out of my head." He shouted as he clamped his mind shut and pushed Snape out of it.

The Slytherin Professor just grinned smarmily. "You are dismissed." Draco huffed and left the classroom, feeling exposed and angry.

--

Harry was feeling lost thinking over all the things Dumbledore told him, and yet didn't tell him. Harry laughed at the thought. "That old man is going to be vague until he dies." Harry whispered to himself.

The last bit was troublesome though. Dumbledore was practically telling Harry that he couldn't trust Draco. Was he right? Would Draco betray him? Harry shook the thoughts away, not willing to give up on this new feeling he had with the Slytherin.

"Speak of the devil." Harry muttered as Draco walked through the door with Hermione trailing behind him.

Draco looked around the room and then looked inquisitively toward Harry, "Who were you talking to about me?" not seeing anyone in the room but the three of them.

Harry laughed. "I was just thinking about you."

Draco smirked. "Good things I hope."

"Very." Harry lied.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. "Would you two just make out already and get it over with?"

The boys looked at each other and grinned, both blushing slightly.

Hermione caught the look and gasped. "Oh no. You didn't? Really?"

They both laughed but Harry was the first to nod. "This morning."

Hermione looked incredulously at both boys. "You didn't do… anything else did you?"

"No." Draco replied immediately causing Harry to raise an eyebrow in confusion and Hermione to giggle.

"Do you plan to?" she asked next.

Draco rolled his eyes. "We hadn't planned on kissing. It just… happened."

Hermione smiled. "How was it?"

"It was nice." Harry said, looking at Draco's lips as he answered.

"It was brilliant." Draco said with a grin.

Harry winked at him, completely relieved. Harry thought for a moment that Draco's feelings had changed given his quick answers to Hermione.

Hermione opened her mouth to ask another question, but Draco held up a hand to stop her. "Granger, stop being nosey."

Hermione blushed and they all started laughing. Hermione was the first to quiet down. "I was going to ask Harry how his leg was feeling."

"Right. Of course you were." Harry said still laughing. "My leg is loads better already. Madame Pomfrey says I should be out of here by dinner."

"That's great Harry!" Hermione said, and Draco nodded.

"I have a lot to tell you both though. Dumbledore came to see me this morning." Harry whispered. Draco took a seat on Harry's other side and they both leaned in to listen to Harry recount his conversation with the Headmaster. Harry told them everything, except the fact that Voldemort may want what was in the maze, and that Dumbledore didn't trust Draco.

He didn't really know why he left out that information, and the more he thought about it, the worse he felt. Did he believe Dumbledore? Was he afraid deep down that Draco was going to turn on him?

Maybe.

--

Hermione left Draco alone with Harry for the last bit of their lunch break. He was agonizingly close to Harry, but knew it would be foolish to try and kiss him here in the hospital wing. He couldn't stop staring at Harry's lips, and how he would sometimes bite his bottom lip when he was thinking, causing it to turn white at first, but then it would be red and plump when he stopped. He also noticed that Harry's lips were always shiny, and it was making it terribly hard to resist kissing him.

Then he started to think of other things Harry could do with his mouth and he had to shake his head to clear the thoughts, and realized that Harry had been talking to him.

"…eat dinner together." Harry finished.

Draco smiled. "Sorry. I didn't hear a word of that. I was a bit… distracted."

Harry smiled. "I said," He repeated, "I wonder if there would be a way we could eat dinner together."

Draco thought about it for a moment. "We could go down to the kitchens and skip the Great Hall."

Harry looked dejected. "You're right. There really isn't a way to be together out in public huh?"

"What, did you want me to go sit at the Gryffindor table with you or something?" He said, laughing slightly.

"Well, Gryffindor's would be more accepting of you, than the Slytherin's would be of me." Harry said bitterly.

"Ha!" Draco laughed angrily. "Tell that to your friend Ron."

Harry winced and looked away, not looking back until he felt warm fingertips caressing the exposed flesh on his arms.

"I don't want to fight with you." Draco said quietly. "Do you really want to whole school to know about… us?"

Harry looking into his silvery eyes and shrugged. He thought about all the people who could use the knowledge against him, and Voldemort was at the top of that list. "No, I guess not."

"I'm not saying that no one will ever know," Draco began, "but maybe we should just figure out what it is that's happening between us for ourselves before we involve the whole school."

Harry nodded. "After I kill Voldemort."

Draco looked a little shaken. "That too." He replied finally.

--

That night Draco made his way into the Great Hall and as he walked through the massive doors he spotted Harry right away. Harry gave him a quick glance and a smile and went back to chatting with Hermione and Neville.

It was hard for Draco to understand Harry's choice in friends, though Hermione was growing on him more and more each day, she was still a pesky know-it-all. Only now he started to find the quality endearing. He almost laughed aloud but quickly remembered where he was, and that laughing was strictly prohibited from the Slytherin table, unless it was at someone else's expense. Particularly a Gryffindor.

Draco ate quickly and then went straight for the library, where the trio had decided to meet to research more about the maze. He thought about that as he waited. Did I replace Ron in the Golden Trio? And for that matter, is it still Golden with me in it? He laughed out loud causing the librarian to shush him.

Harry and Hermione entered shortly after and took a seat across from him. Hermione laid several large volumes in front of them and after a few minutes of bickering over the density of the books versus the need to read them, they eventually set to work.

After a few hours of research and finding no new information the trio decided to stop for the night. As he and Draco got up to leave, Hermione's hand on their arms stopped them both.

"Listen," she started, "I'll be in London with my parents for the next two weeks."

Harry nodded. "We know this already."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I just mean that I won't be around to help if you two get into trouble again, which you're bound to do." She glared at them both with a hint of a smile.

"We'll be good." Draco said with a sly grin.

"Promise me you won't go into the maze until I get back." She said quickly.

"What?" Harry and Draco both shouted at the same time, eliciting another shushing from the librarian.

Hermione started again, quieter this time. "Please. I don't want you two getting hurt, when I'm in London completely useless."

Harry looked over at Draco who shrugged. "We can't control the dream. You know that, Mione. We have no control over whether or not we end up there."

"I know. Just don't do anything… boy like, while you're there." She frowned at the smirks on both her friends' faces. "You know what I mean. Just… play cards or something."

Harry laughed and patted her on the back. "We'll be careful, Mione. Don't worry. We'll both still be here for you to worry about when you get back."

Hermione burst into tears and pulled the boys into a giant hug, making them feel incredibly awkward as they looked at each other over her bushy head.


	15. Chapter 14 Venom

Chapter 14 Venom

**Author's notes: My brilliant Beta is MIA for a while, but I decided to post some of these chapters anyhow, so please let me know if you see any bad errors, or if you know someone who may be interested in temporarily beta-ing this story until my Animus Complexio sister gets some free time. ****J**** Many thanks to all that have commented! I love reading what people think about the story. **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own any of the recognized content within this story**_._

**Chapter 14 Venom**

The air was cooler then usual in the maze, and Harry had a bit of a chill. This time upon entering the foggy dream world, there was no having to retrace his steps and find his way to the place where they last left the maze. This time he started right where they had left off, on the other side of the first trial. Harry watched as Draco materialized into the maze and waited for Draco to get acclimated to the new surroundings and then promptly leapt upon him pressing him into a fervent kiss.

Both boys pulled away slightly winded after a few minutes. "I've wanted to do that all day." Harry rasped.

"Me too." Draco replied pulling Harry closer to him. "I'm starting to lose interest in this foolish old maze."

Harry smiled, feeling genuinely content; Draco's touch washing away all his earlier doubts. "Well, Hermione insisted we not do anything that would get us hurt…"

Draco raised a graceful eyebrow. "Did you have something in mind then?"

Harry felt a tinge of embarrassment as he reached for Draco's robes, and pushed them gently from his shoulders and onto the stone floor of the maze. Draco looked both shocked and pleased with his forwardness, so Harry continued by addressing the green and silver tie wrapped around Draco's delicate neck. After fumbling with several buttons Harry finally managed to free him of his clothing from the waist up, leaving Draco pale and glowing in the moonlight.

Draco stood looking equally embarrassed half nude in front of his former rival. Harry leaned into him and sucked lightly on Draco's earlobe, causing Draco to shudder against him. Draco's hands were on Harry's hips, where he was digging into his flesh, trying to calm his breathing and keep his body still as Harry worked his mouth along his neck and collarbone.

Harry's fingertips brushed across Draco's exposed nipples and ran down the length of his torso, and Draco could no longer hold still. He grabbed Harry's chin and pulled him level to his face and crashed his lips against the Gryffindor's. Harry pushed him against the hedge wall, kneading the flesh of Draco's bare back. His mouth was possessive, claiming the Slytherin's bottom lip, which was now red and inflamed.

Their breathing ragged, Harry fumbled with the button of Draco's trousers, but a firm hand stopped his movements. "Wait," Draco said between panting breaths, "You don't have to do that."

Harry looked into his eyes, which glinted like mercury in the moonlight. "I want to." He said finally.

A look of hunger flashed through Draco's eyes, quickly chased with distress. "It's just that I haven't ever…"

Harry almost laughed but bit it back, deeming it a definite mood breaker. "You think I have?"

Draco peered at him through narrowed eyes. "You're the Boy Who Lived." He answered simply as if that answered anything.

Harry decided he would risk the laughter. "So you think, what? That I get sex because Voldemort tried to kill me?"

"No." Draco rolled his eyes unable to fathom how Harry could be so oblivious. "I see how people gravitate to you. You're like this magnet. All the girls whisper about you, and even some of the guys." He finished, blushing slightly.

Harry took a step back, the mirth leaving his eyes, and watched Draco appraisingly. "Do you really think I'm some sort of whore?"

"No!" Draco shouted, grabbing Harry's waist and trying to pull him closer. "No, I just thought you had… more experience."

Harry sighed and relaxed slightly. "I don't." He said simply. "Plus, I thought you had at least shagged Pansy with how the girl follows you around and dotes on you every minute."

"You noticed that, huh?" Draco said laughing. "She irritates me. I've never even touched her."

"Good." Harry said before he could catch himself, eliciting another laugh from Draco. "So really, are you just some sort of groupie? Are you just going to go back and tell all your friends about what its like to shag the Boy Who Lived?" He said smiling.

Draco rolled his eyes and leaned in kissing the other boy gently. He ran his hand through the unruly black hair and pulled him in close. "Surprisingly enough, Harry. I like you. I mean I like you in the way that makes me nervous."

"Nervous?" Harry made it a question.

Draco nodded. "I've never felt like this about anyone, and I don't want to botch it up."

Harry almost squealed in delight, but restrained himself based on his proud Gryffindor sensibilities. "I'm glad to hear it, because I like you too... despite my best efforts otherwise." He leaned in and kissed the Slytherin.

--

Draco deepened the kiss and gasped at the feel of Harry's fingers pressing into his exposed chest. It started to get uncomfortable and Draco realized suddenly that Harry's hands were still at his sides, apparently respecting his earlier request to wait.

Draco pulled back quickly to find himself being held firmly against the hedge wall by thick obtrusive vines. He began hyperventilating as the dark red vines sliced and crushed his chest. Harry was already pulling at them trying to loosen their hold on his bare flesh. "You're bleeding!" He shouted in a panic.

Draco looked down to see that the vines had thorns, which were in fact cutting into his pale skin, causing blood to well up and leak down his stomach. Now that he saw the cuts, they began to sting and Draco tried to wiggle away from them, only to have the vines cut him deeper.

A cry from Harry made him look to his left where a large red flowering plant was emerging from the hedge. Draco hardly had time to scream before two long yellow stems lashed out at him, leaving giant red welts on his chest. Stinging pain coursed through his body and Draco felt as if his blood were on fire. "Poison" He whispered before passing out.

--

Harry panicked, not entirely sure he knew of a spell that would destroy the plant or free his friend. A cool wind whipped through the maze and Harry felt and eerie calm wash over him and suddenly he knew what to do.

He leveled his wand with the massive flower and shouted a spell he had never used before. The spells effects promptly caused the flower's violent explosion, sending bits of red and green mush flying through the air and covering both Harry and the now unconscious Draco from head to toe.

The vines holding Draco fell limp and Harry rushed over to catch him before he fell. The boy was a dead weight in his arms and Harry fought not to cry out in despair as he held onto his pale limp form. Harry felt for a pulse, and relaxed slightly as he found one, though it was terribly weak. The calming feeling had left him the minute he touched Draco's exposed flesh, and now he was left wondering how he would save his beautiful Slytherin.

"Wake up!" Harry shouted aloud. He didn't know how to will himself from this dream. He needed to get Draco to Dumbledore; he would know what to do. Just as he thought it, the maze around him began to fade into darkness all around him.

--

Harry shot upright in bed, soaked with sweat and fear. A quick glance around the room confirmed that he was in his own dorm room in Gryffindor tower and that it was still before sunrise. Everyone's trunks were packed and ready to be taken down to the train first thing after breakfast this morning, and his fellow students were sleeping soundly.

Lying next to his was Draco, even paler then usual and bleeding slowly from several cuts along his skin. Harry spared no time with spells or invisibility cloaks and lifted Draco from the bed and rushed out of the room. Draco's heartbeat had slowed considerably since the dream maze, and Harry subconsciously knew that his time was limited.

When Harry stepped out of the portrait hole he hesitated a moment, thinking perhaps he should rush him to Madame Pomfrey instead, but instinct told him to go to the Headmaster straight away.

He approached the gargoyle statue and realized too late that he didn't know the password. He stood in front of the enormous winged structure, still cradling Draco's still body against his own. He looked down into the lifeless face of his Slytherin and a single tear slipped down his cheek landing on Draco's bottom lip and reflecting the bluish color of them.

He hadn't noticed the statue moving aside to reveal the doorway leading up into the Headmaster's office, and he hadn't noticed that Dumbledore now stood before him with a questioning look.

He finally took account of the changed surroundings as Dumbledore lifted Draco's still form from Harry's grasp and carried him quickly up the spiral staircase and into his office, motioning for Harry to follow suit.

--

Harry refused the offered seat and instead hovered in the corner of Dumbledore's office, watching closely as Dumbledore lay Draco's limp figure onto the settee. "Fawkes, come." Dumbledore bellowed, and the bird was at his side in an instant.

The fiery red phoenix perched on the back of the sofa and looked down at Draco's pale face questioningly. It looked briefly up to Dumbledore who nodded, and then large shimmering tears fell onto Draco's face, mingling with Harry's own.

The cuts on the Slytherin's chest oozed a clear yellowish liquid before sealing up and turning into thin red slits. With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore cleaned the boy up. Draco's breathing was now noticeably solid and steady. Harry collapsed onto the chair across from him, not taking his eyes off the other boy, but fully relieved that he was now safe.

"He's going to sleep for a while now." The Headmaster intoned, startling Harry out of his thoughts as he watched the Slytherin's color slowly return.

Harry nodded. "Thank you, professor." Dumbledore moved to sit behind his desk and after a moment Harry turned to look at him. "How did you know we were out there?" He asked, not sure if he would get an answer.

Dumbledore smiled. "I am linked to this school, Harry. Just as it can sense students in need so can I."

Harry was curious as to what extent this ability worked for the Headmaster, but chose not to pry any further. "Aren't you going to ask what happened?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "I think I already know what happened." He looked down at the unconscious boy. "He was obviously attacked by a Venomous Tentacula. It's best not to touch the hedges, for there are several of these creatures throughout the maze."

Harry sighed. "I didn't know what to do at first, but then a spell just suddenly came to me and I blew the plant into a million pieces."

"What spell did you use?" Dumbledore asked in a hushed tone.

Harry thought about it. "Confringo." He said at last. "Yeah, that was it I think. Though I don't know how I knew it."

"Nor should you." Dumbledore said with narrowed eyes. "That spell is not taught till the end of seventh year."

Harry felt a chill as something deep within his mind laughed maniacally. Harry shivered and Dumbledore must have noticed because he grabbed his robes and lifted him to his fee. Harry's eyes were locked with the Headmaster's usually sparkling and blue, but were now filled with anger and concern. "Get out of his head!" He shouted into Harry's face, making him wince away, but he could not pull himself from the Headmasters strong grip.

Harry felt that eerie chill sweep over him and with one swift and powerful motion he was free of the older wizard and standing with his hand clasping his wand, not yet pointing it, but obviously wanting to.

Harry!" Dumbledore shouted, "You must clear your head. You must shut him out."

Harry tried. He could plainly feel the unwanted presence in his mind now, pressing his thoughts into conflicting directions. "I'm trying." Harry choked out, hardly able to make out his own voice.

"Try harder!" Dumbledore bellowed.

Harry stumbled backward and fell beside the sofa where Draco lay. His hand brushed against the Slytherin's cool arm and Harry immediately felt a calm wash over him. His thoughts were his own once again.

Dumbledore looked shocked at the instant dissipation of evil from the room. "He's gone." It was both a statement and a question.

Harry nodded. "I think so."

Dumbledore looked from Harry's face to his hand, which was making slow swirling patterns on Draco's chest. Harry caught the look and followed his gaze, noticing what he was doing and quickly pulling away in embarrassment.

"No." Dumbledore said quickly, "Keep touching him. It seems to keep Voldemort out of your head."

Harry returned his hand, but kept it still against his arm instead. "How?" He asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.

Dumbledore hook his head. "I'm not sure, but I have a few theories."

Harry waited for the Headmaster to elaborate but he didn't. "What theories?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "I think I should do some fact checking before I relay any of them to you."

Harry's shoulders sagged. He was starting to feel the fatigue of the events of the past few hours. "I think I need to sleep. Do you think I can safely let go now?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe it will be safe, just continue to shield. I will have Mr. Malfoy returned to his quarters." Harry nodded and after getting up, walked slowly to the door, trying to resist the urge to look back at his sleeping Slytherin. A warm hand on his arm surprised him and he turned to meet Dumbledore's warm blue eyes. "Can I ask you something, Harry?"

Harry let the shock play across his face. He thought the Headmaster would just bluntly ask whatever he wished to know. He had never before asked permission. Seemingly reading his mind Dumbledore laughed. "I only ask, because this is a personal question. One that I hope you will answer, but I cannot make you." Harry nodded. "What is your relationship with Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry flinched. Somehow he knew that was going to be the question, but he was still unprepared. "I assume you mean the one lying here in your office, and not the one I refer to as Mr. Malfoy." He asked, trying to stall.

Dumbledore's eyes lit up with their usual sparkle as he chuckled. "Yes, Harry. I am referring to Draco."

Harry smiled in spite of himself. Sometimes it was hard not to when he was around the perpetually mirthful wizard. "I honestly don't know, sir." Harry answered finally. "I like him," He said quietly, "I like him more then friends."

Dumbledore didn't say anything for a moment, but eventually nodded. "And Draco? Does he feel the same?"

Harry looked down at the sleeping form of his beautiful Slytherin. "He seems to." Harry said, leaving off the fact that he hoped with all his heart that he did.

"Good. That will make this less difficult then, though by no means will it be easy." Dumbledore replied, ushering Harry toward the door.

"Make what less difficult, sir?"

"Never you mind that now, Harry. I will let you know just as soon as I can be certain of my theory." He patted Harry on the back and opened the door. "Now go to bed, Harry."

Harry left the ornately decorated office thinking about Dumbledore's mysterious ranting, the unconscious Slytherin on his couch, and how they might somehow be related. He kept the walls around his mind locked firmly in place to keep out his unwanted visitor and made his way to the Gryffindor tower.

--

Hermione was in a right state when Harry walked through the portrait hole. Judging by the light outside the windows, it was still before dawn, yet the common room was bustling with commotion. "What's going on?" Harry asked looking around the room. There were at least ten people up and about.

Hermione jumped at his voice and looked at him in shock for a moment before leaping upon him and smothering him in a tight hug.

"Hermione," He choked out finally, "you're crushing me."

"Sorry." She replied, still not releasing him from her feral grasp. "Are you okay?" she asked, finally letting go to in order to step back and look him over concernedly.

Harry looked around at all the faces waiting for him to answer. "I'm fine." He replied slowly. "Why are you all up?"

It was Neville that answered. "I woke up and saw your bed empty, and when I went over, I saw your sheets soaked with blood!"

Shit. Harry had no idea how he was going to explain all this away. He looked to Hermione pleadingly. "We were just about to go get McGonagall." She said. "But you're obviously fine, so maybe we should just leave this be until the morning."

Harry sighed relieved as everyone slowly trailed back upstairs, save Hermione. When the last of them were out of earshot, Hermione pulled Harry over to the sofa. "Harry, what happened?"

He began to relate the entire ordeal; from the moment he set foot in the maze to what happened in Dumbledore's office, including his cryptic message. He did leave out the part about him making out with Draco, however.

Hermione didn't say anything for a moment, seemingly processing it all. "How did Draco get attacked by a Venomous Tentacula? They are usually dormant unless disturbed."

"Draco was… leaning... against the hedge it was in." Harry responded, blushing slightly.

"Why would he do that? How foolish can you be even touching the hedge in this magical maze? I mean really?" Hermione griped.

Harry looked sheepish. "It was sort of my fault. I had him pinned there."

Hermione's eyes went wide. "Oh no, Harry did you have a fight with him?"

"Er… no." Harry said, blushing deeper. "Not fighting."

"Well then what… oh." Hermione smiled. "I think I understand."

Harry looked down at his shoes, having just now realized that he was fully dressed, and must have woken up that way.

"Hermione?" Harry asked. "Do you think we can manipulate the dream at all?"

Hermione seemed to think on it. "Well, Only Dumbledore would know for certain, but my guess is based on your experiences so far, that you can manipulate yourselves in the maze… to a certain degree."

Harry thought about it. "I went to sleep tonight in my normal bed clothes and I woke up like this, which is what I was wearing in the dream."

Hermione looked at his robes and uniform and frowned. "You both woke up here this time though, instead of in the Slytherin common room. That's peculiar." She mused.

"I thought so too." Harry responded.

Hermione was thoughtful for a moment then burst out laughing. "It's so simple." At Harry's questioning look she continued. "It's both of your conscious minds controlling it. You see, when you turned into a bunny, Draco was the fully conscious one, so when he left the dream, you went with him. The same happened when you broke your leg and passed out. This time, Draco was unconscious, so you left the dream and took him with you. You remained clearheaded enough that you knew you had to get him help right away, so your body here, replicated what happened there. Same as when you break your leg there, it's also broken here."

Harry sat back and thought on it. "Dumbledore says it's unusual that we can dream about it. It's a physical place that we should only be able to get to by locating it in the physical world."

"Maybe you are." She huffed at Harry's petulant look. "Maybe you apparate there? Does anyone know if either of you are still in your beds during these dreams?"

"No. I guess not." Harry replied. "Could we really be leaving the castle? I mean, you can't even apparate from inside Hogwart's."

"That's true, but you're not supposed to be able to access this dream world either." She shrugged.

Harry sagged into the sofa, his mind reeling. Hermione must have noticed his state, because she laid a gentle hand on his leg. "Look, when I get back, we can start some experiments with the dream. Until then though, just promise me you'll be careful. More careful then this." She said gesturing to the blood still drying on the front of his robes."

Harry only nodded and walked up to bed. Laying down his mind drifted into a mazeless, though not entirely peaceful sleep

--.


	16. Chapter 15 Silk & Secrets

Author's note: This chapter is rated NC-17, and those not 18 or older should not proceed

**Author's note: This chapter is rated NC-17, and those not 18 or older should not proceed. I know this is the chapter that some of you have been waiting patiently (and not so patiently in some cases) for. **

**Chapter 15 Silk and Secrets**

When Harry woke up later that morning, his dorm room was empty. All the boys from his year had plans for the Holiday's. Looking around, he realized he had slept much later then usual, because the trunks were also gone, so the train must have already been loaded.

A knock on the door startled his and he quickly padded over to open in, smiling down at Hermione's worry stricken face greeting him on the other side. She threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "The train is already here and waiting. Most everyone else has loaded up, but I couldn't leave without saying good bye!" She blubbered through her tears.

He patted her warmly on the back and kissed her forehead. "I'll be fine, Mione. Dumbledore will be here, and I'll be extra careful." She looked skeptical and he crossed his heart. "I promise." He added.

"Right then. Okay." She took a deep breath and turned toward the landing. "I'll miss you, Harry."

He smiled back at her. "I'll miss you too, Mione."

He watched her walk down the stairs and right before she exited out the portrait hole she turned one last time, "I love you, Harry." Then she disappeared without another word.

--

Harry made his way to the Great Hall to find it empty. There was only one table now in the middle of the hall, close to where the staff sat. Everything was so vacant here over the holidays, and Harry found it both nice, to practically have the castle to himself, and lonely all at the same time.

Harry felt a pang of loss at the realization that Draco would be gone for the next couple weeks. He hoped he had healed enough before leaving. Then he thought worriedly about the fact that Voldemort had apparently set up camp in his home, and his heart filled with dread.

There would obviously be no food to be had in the Great Hall until lunch, so Harry made his way down to the kitchens to see what he could drum up.

Halfway into making a sandwich for himself, he heard a noise and looked up to see the gray eyes of Draco watching him closely. Harry dropped the knife he had been using and smiled broadly. "Why aren't you on the train?"

Draco leaned against the wall, still slightly weak looking. "Didn't I tell you? My mother gave me permission to stay here for the holidays."

Harry slowly closed the gap between then and reached for Draco's hand. "How are you feeling?"

Draco shook his head. "Not my best, but I'll live I suppose."

"I was worried. Then I thought about you having to go stay in that house with Voldemort and I was extra worried."

Draco shuddered at the name but only nodded. "I saw you head down here from the end of the corridor. I got up to see some of the Slytherin's off so it wouldn't be too suspicious and I wanted to see you before I went back to my dorm to sleep."

Harry rubbed slow circles on the back of Draco's hand. "I have a better idea." He said as he tugged him back up the stairs and down through the fruit painting.

--

After a few minutes Draco could tell where Harry was leading him. They paused outside the Room of Requirement and he leaned against the railing while Harry paced three times in front of the large expanse of wall. He had never remembered feeling so ill before in his life. Still drained and hurting from the poison, all Draco wanted to do was to crawl in a nice comfy bed and sleep.

The door blossomed in the previously blank wall, and Harry took his hand again and led him inside. The room was not as he expected. Draco had only seen it as the large space filled with shelves and stuffed with miscellaneous magical objects. This room was elegant looking and Draco was thrilled to see the large four-poster bed in the center of it.

Draco looked around and saw all the details Harry had put into the room. The ceiling was draped in hanging cream fabric with pale glittering golden lights hanging in between. The walls were a rich black and white marble and the floor was a black stone with gold and white inlays. On the left side of the room was a door, which led to a large bathroom and to the right of the room was a dressing screen, with two sets of clothes, one in burgundy and one in green.

Draco walked up to the bed, which was covered in creamy silk sheets and large over stuffed pillows, but Harry caught his hand lightly. "You should change first." A light sparkle in his emerald eyes made him look edible.

Draco smiled and kissed Harry lightly on the forehead and walked over to the screen. The clothes draped over the side consisted of a pair of silk pajama bottoms and a long silk robe. He removed his uniform and draped it over the top of the screen and slipped into the trousers. They fit him nicely, and he decided to skip the robe, so he placed it back over the screen.

When he reemerged Harry's eyes were upon him and full of heat, watching him as he made his way over to the bed. Harry got up and took his place behind the screen to change. Draco saw immediately why he had looked the way he had when Draco came back out from behind the screen. The soft light from the ceiling cast perfect-silhouetted shadows of Harry undressing. Draco's cock twitched as he watched Harry change behind the screen, and when he reemerged, dressed only in burgundy silk bottoms, Draco knew he would have the same hungry look in his eyes that Harry had possessed.

Suddenly sleep was the last thing he wanted to do in this bed.

As Harry approached the bed, the lights dimmed slightly to only a distant golden twinkle overhead. Draco shuddered at the look of lust in Harry's bright green eyes, but the boy just crawled into bed beside him. "I hope it won't bother you if I sleep here too."

Draco shook his head, at a loss for words. He wanted Harry so badly, but the thoughts in his head were conflicting. He felt weak and slightly dizzy, but he wasn't sure anymore if that was from him recovering, or because Harry's stomach was flat and lusciously exposed above the creamy silk sheets. He felt his heat beat faster, and he didn't know if it was from the poison, only hours before removed from his system, or because he could see thin black hair trailing from Harry's belly button down to his nether regions that were only hidden by thin burgundy silk.

When his eyes met Harry's once again, there was mirth. It was obvious Harry enjoyed the way Draco looked at him, soaking up every last detail. Before he could stop himself, Draco was trailing soft fingers over a small triangular scar on the Gryffindor's arm. "That's where the Basilisk fang pierced me in second year." Harry said lowly.

"So it's true then? The rumors that you fought the creature in the Chamber of Secrets?" Draco asked, genuinely interested. He had always assumed that any of the outlandish stories told about Harry were mostly rumor, and for the most part false.

Harry nodded and moved Draco's hand over a small burn mark on his side. "This is where I was hit by a Death Eater's curse in the Ministry last year." Draco tried to pull his hand away, but Harry held it firmly. "I don't blame you for the actions of your father, Draco." Harry said simply, with no emotion.

"But, I do." Draco replied. He didn't know if he should say any more, but Harry was sharing things with him, that he was sure no one outside of Ron and Hermione knew about. Hermione told me about your godfather." There he said it.

Harry's eyes clamped shut and his breathing slowed. Draco began running his fingertips over Harry's smooth bare flesh and he eventually calmed. "Did she tell you how he died?"

Draco nodded, still working goose bumps into the other boys flesh with his movements.

"I don't blame you for that either."

Draco nodded. "Still, it must be difficult for you to trust me after everything my family has done to you."

Harry smirked, and it struck Draco as a very Malfoy smirk. He wondered for a brief second if he was a bad influence on the boy, but the smirk quickly turned to one of Harry's trademark grins and Draco relaxed. "I thought it would be more difficult."

Draco smirked then, still trailing fingers over his skin, until Harry pulled him into a crushing kiss. Draco pressed himself into every inch of bare skin he could, and Harry seemed to be doing the same. He felt on fire as he laid beside Harry, flesh to flesh, lips to lips, hands groping in each other's hair.

Draco's hands drifted south until they cupped Harry's smooth arse, covered only in thin silk. Harry moaned into his mouth and thrust his erection against Draco's own silk-coated leg. The sound filled him with elation and made his heart beat harder and faster. He kneaded the flesh of Harry's back and felt the other boy's hands dip lower until they cupped his buttocks, pulling the cheeks apart lightly and digging his nails into the barely covered flesh.

He began to squirm under Harry's touch, and quickly abandoned all sense of decorum as he writhed and roughly pulled Harry on top of him. "I thought you were tired." Harry said with a low velvet laugh.

"Changed my mind." Draco panted, not able to catch his breath from the fiery sensations coursing through his body.

Harry's only reply was a deep, "mmm" as he straddled the blonde and lowered his mouth to Draco's earlobe. His tongue worked expertly around Draco's ear and neck, teasing him with feather light touches. As Harry pulled back to look into his eyes, Draco whimpered his protest, earning a sly smile from the Gryffindor above him.

Harry leaned back down, but this time slid a hot path from Draco's collarbone down to his nipples, where he licked and sucked and bit lightly into his tender flesh. Draco cried out in ecstasy and thrust upward, grinding his hips and groin against Harry's. He had never felt so light headed, and overwhelmed with pleasure.

Draco watched Harry's dark messy hair as he edged further down his body, Harry's fringe tickling lightly against his chest. He watched with bated breath as Harry got closer and closer to the soft hem of his trousers, and sucked in a sharp breath as his tongue flicked against the pale blonde patch of hair leading to things lying hidden and rigid beneath the silk under Harry's chin.

Harry chose that moment to look up and meet Draco's eyes. What once was a bright emerald green had gone almost black with lust, and the look Harry held within them made Draco shudder with anticipation.

With deft fingers Harry pulled at the hem of Draco's trousers and slowly slid them down his milky legs, savoring every inch of newly exposed flesh. Draco inhaled and blushed pink as his cock was released from his pants and slapped sharply against his stomach. Harry was grinning like the Cheshire cat at the sight before him. He slowly lowered his face to the crease where Draco's abdomen met his thighs and flicked his tongue quickly over the area, chuckling lowly as Draco squirmed and bucked beneath him.

Draco closed his eyes and didn't open them again until he felt hot breath run the length of his cock. Looking down he swallowed hard at the sight of Harry running the flat part of his tongue from balls to tip, moaning against Draco's engorged flesh.

Draco had never been so hard in his life. He could feel the throbbing heat that concentrated itself in that hard bit of flesh more acutely then he could feel his own heartbeat. He screamed out for Harry when his mouth enclosed over his hot sticky head, and moaned for him when his tongue slid further down his shaft, lapping and twisting and taking in the whole length of him.

He couldn't control the shifting and bucking of his hips as he fucked Harry's mouth. He tried not to be so rough, but his cock was suddenly in charge of any movements he made. He did however have the sense of mind to notice that Harry seemed to be enjoying it in spite of the roughness.

Harry moaned around his shaft, taking it deeper and hard with each thrust. His hands wandered around Draco's sensitive flesh, cupping his hard shrunken balls and kneading his soft plump arse. Draco was close to orgasm and his body went rigid as the feeling built up in the pit of his stomach.

It only took one movement from Harry, one thin digit inserted into his puckered hole, before he was screaming Harry's name and exploding his orgasm down his throat, his body jerking with the effects. He barely registered the feeling of Harry's throat swallowing him down and slowly moving his mouth away. He was in a state of euphoria and knew that if he had a mirror, it would reflect a very stupid grin planted firmly on his usually composed face.

It wasn't until he felt the bed shift that he looked up to find Harry's eyes looming above him, peering at him through heavy lidded eyelashes. Draco felt his face flush as the thought of what they just did hit his conscious mind like a train. He immediately pulled Harry down to press him into a heated kiss. He could taste himself on Harry's tongue, and it made him moan against his lips.

Harry lifted away, smirking slightly and tugged at his own trousers until they were resting in a small pile with Draco's. The Slytherin couldn't take his eyes off of the smooth expanse of purple skin bobbing in between them, and he pumped his hips upward when he felt Harry's cock graze against his own.

He watched with growing arousal as Harry lifted his fingers to him mouth and sucked on them, making them wet and slippery. Draco's mouth made a soft "O" as Harry slowly slipped one finger into his quivering opening. Harry's other hand gripped Draco's hip, keeping him firmly pinned to the bed, and making sure he couldn't control the depth of his fingers inside him. Draco wanted so badly to ram himself onto Harry's fingers, and made unintelligible whimpering noises when Harry denied him.

"Oh yes!" He moaned, as Harry joined a second finger to the slow movement inside his orifice, but Harry was in control, and soon removed both fingers, causing Draco to pout and whine.

Harry chuckled deep and velvety, "You're cute when you pout."

Draco didn't have time to respond with a witty retort because Harry chose that moment to rub the head of his own cock against Draco's opening, making him scream out and try again to thrust himself down onto this new intrusion. "Tell me if I hurt you." Harry said in a breathy voice, to which Draco merely nodded.

Harry held Draco's hips firmly as he worked himself slowly into Draco's channel. The blonde writhed and moaned at the feeling of Harry's rock hard cock buried deep within him. Harry's motions got faster and rougher as he could fit his entire length into Draco comfortably, and after several thrusts, he let go of Draco's hips and let him buck against his own controlled movements.

Both boys we're slick with sweat and panting heavily. The sound of Harry's balls slapping against his ass almost sent Draco over the edge, but he clawed at the silken sheets in order to release the pressure in another manner. Draco didn't know how long they stayed that way, joined together in sweaty bliss.

Draco constricted the muscles in his anus tightly around Harry's thick cock and that seemed to push the Gryffindor over the edge, because after two hard thrusts, Harry's head fell back as his orgasm racked his body. The feel of Harry's seed being buried deep inside him made Draco come again, both boys now shuddering and screaming each others name, before collapsing in a heap on the bed.

"That was brilliant." Draco mumbled, when he could finally speak again.

Harry nodded and smiled, pulling the Slytherin into him and nuzzling his neck. They curled around each other, seeming to fit like a puzzle, and both drifted into an uninterrupted blissful sleep.

--


	17. Chapter 16 Hot Cocoa

**Chapter 16 Hot Cocoa**

It was almost dinnertime when Harry and Draco finally awoke from their peaceful slumber. It was Harry who wokefirst, and he just laid there staring at the sleeping Malfoy for several minutes before he got an elbow embedded into his ribcage.

"Stop it," Draco muttered, his voice still thick with sleep. "Didn't anyone tell you it's creepy to watch a bloke sleep?"

Harry smiled and placed a warm kiss squarely on Draco's cheek. "I was just waiting for you to wake up."

Draco pressed the back of his naked body into the frontof Harry's, eliciting a soft sound of contentment from the Gryffindor. "Can we keep staying here do you think?"

Harry yawned and thought it over for a moment. "There's no one left in my dorm over the holiday, how about you?"

Draco realized he didn't actually know who was left over in his room. "No one that would miss me if I was gone."

Harry was making slow soft circles into Draco's side making him squirm slightly. "I suppose this could easily be our room then through the holidays at least." The events of the last several hours came back to him suddenly and he leaned over, peering cautiously at Draco. "How are you feeling?"

Draco tried, but couldn't stop the blush that found its way onto his face. "I'm a little sore, but otherwise fine."

Harry laughed. "I actually meant, from the poison."

Draco blushed deeper, laughing. "Right. Well then. I feel mostly better. It's hard to tell right now, because I feel weird sleeping in the middle of the day. I feel a little disoriented. You know?"

Nodding, Harry got up from the bed and slipped into his previously discarded trousers. With a flick of his wand the time floated in front of them letting them both know it was time for supper. "We had best get downstairs before Dumbledore sends out a search party."

They took turns getting ready and quickly made their way down to the Great Hall. They looked at one another briefly as they approached the entrance, neither boy sure if they should sit together. Harry shrugged and as if in silent consent and they made their way in, sitting together at the far end of the table, and paying no attention to the heightened sounds of whispering and gossiping from the students there.

--

"How are you feeling today, Draco?" Dumbledore asked with a slight twinkle in his eye.

He blushed slightly as he thought of his earlier conversation with Harry, "I feel much better, sir."

Dumbledore nodded, "I'm glad." Harry and Draco both shifted in their seats waiting for the Headmaster to proceed with his reasoning that brought them into his office that evening. "I see you two have eliminated your issues with being seem in public together." It was not a question, but both boys nodded in unison and it made the Headmaster smile.

There was silence for what seemed like hours and Harry could no longer stand it. "Professor? Might I ask 

why you brought us here?"

The Headmaster laughed a twinkling laugh, "ah, yes. The second trial will be coming up soon, and I assume MissGranger has requested you not do anything… rash while she is away. Am I right?"

The boys looked at each other dumbfounded for a moment, then nodded once again.

"I have no doubt that the maze cares nothing for your pact with Hermione, and will once again deposit you both inside again this evening. However, as you may already realize, it is not safe to linger in one place for too long."

It was Draco who spoke first, "what would you suggest then, Professor?"

The Headmaster sighed, "I have been giving this much thought lately. I have been trying to find a method to get you the information you may need to survive the maze, yet preserve the vow I took years ago." The boys waited patiently for the Headmaster to continue, "I procured several books that I think it would be prudent that the two of you study in your spare time."

The Headmaster levitated several large volumes over to the boys, who looked at them in dismay. "So the secrets to the maze are in these books?" Harry asked.

"I used material from all of these books when creating the maze." Dumbledore pointed to the small red flags stuck to several of the pages, "I have marked some of the sections you will find most useful. I would start with those."

Harry grinned. Dumbledore always managed to come through for him. They gave the professor their thanks and levitated the books to the Room of Requirement, where they sat pouring over the marked pages for hours.

--

"I want hot chocolate," Harry said remarked out of the blue.

Draco laughed and rolled his eyes, "you're insufferable. Where do you expect we get hot chocolate at this hour?"

"Dobby," Harry said simply, and within moments the scraggly house elf popped into view, his already overlarge eyes growing wider as he saw Draco.

"Is the youngest Malfoy be hurting Master Potter, Sir?" the house elf squeaked.

Harry laughed, "No Dobby, Draco's my…" Well he didn't exactly know what to say Draco was. It didn't seem to matter though, because Draco finished for him.

"Friend," Draco said, "I'm Harry friend."

The house elf looked suspicious and Harry felt slightly saddened at the statement, though he didn't know exactly why. It's not as if they had discussed it at any rate.

"Dobby, I was hoping you could bring us some hot cocoa?" Harry asked at last.

Dobby snuck closer to Harry and spoke in tones, that Harry was certain the house elf _believed_ were hushed, "does Master wish me to poison the youngest Malfoy's drink?"

Harry tried to bite back his laughter, but failed, "Merlin, no Dobby. Draco really is my friend. I wish him no harm."

Dobby nodded and disappeared with a pop, leaving Malfoy sneering at an empty space. "I can't believe that bloody house elf wanted to poison me! After all my family did for him." Draco looked at Harry, "how can you call him anyhow? Father said he was freed."

Harry shrugged, "he just likes me, I guess."

Draco rolled his eyes, "yes, everyone is in love with the great Harry Potter."

Laughter filled the room moments later as Draco was pinned and tickled mercilessly. Draco managed to free himself and had Harry held down at his shoulders, when Draco's head started to swim and he fell to the ground knocked out.

Harry was confused at first but when he sat up he saw Dobby with a large tray in his hand with a Draco shaped dent in the center of it. "Dobby! Did you just hit Draco over the head?"

Dobby nodded and grinned, "yes. Dobby saved Master from the evil boy."

Harry sighed and took the mugs of hot cocoa that Dobby had removed from the tray. "Thanks, Dobby." It seemed useless to try explaining that Draco was a friend any further. He just dismissed the elf and set about trying to revive the Slytherin, knowing he would be in a foul mood once he woke.

He wondered, not for the first time what hope he could have for a future with Draco, when even a house elf couldn't believe the truth.

--


	18. Chapter 17 martyr

Chapter 17 Martyr

**Chapter 17 Martyr**

Draco awoke with a start and immediately waved his wand over a particularly nasty burn mark. He and Harry had been wandering the maze path when they were attacked by a group of blast ended skrewts. Harry seemed mostly untouched as he stirred awake beside him, but as he slowly regained consciousness he quickly scanned his body for damage. A week of their holiday had already zipped past and this was the first incident to occur in the maze since Draco was poisoned. They had been exceedingly careful as they made their way through the winding path but after the skrewt attack, they assumed they were getting closer to the second trial.

That afternoon found the unlikely pair in the Room of Requirement lounging in front of a roaring fire and pouring over the tomes that Dumbledore had loaned them. Harry avoided summoning Dobby again for hot cocoa, and instead had made his way down to the kitchens alone to procure various treat for them to enjoy while they read.

They were fairly certain, based on their studies, that the following trial would consist of a puzzle or riddle of some sort. The Headmaster had been very useful so far in marking up passages that the boys would find necessary to make their way unharmed through the maze. Harry sat silently flipping through one large book titled, "Answer These Questions Three: A guide to Ancient Riddles," while occasionally sipping at his pumpkin juice. Draco was merely pretending to read his volume about secret passages while intermittently watching Harry and day dreaming about their previous nights together. He could still feel the ghost of Harry's warm fingers splaying across his skin, or carding through his hair.

He was startled out of revelry when he glanced at Harry and found him staring at him with a mischievous grin. "What are you thinking about over there, while you pretend to read?"

"What?" Draco asked, his voice sounding much less guilty then it could have, however, he could feel his body betraying him with the heat creeping up his face. "I wasn't pretending to read," he replied haughtily.

Harry's face transformed into a neutral mask, except for his sparkling green eyes, which were still smiling only for Draco. He sometimes felt as if he could read the Gryfindor's mind, just by looking into his eyes. Over the last week he had seen confusion, lust, determination and a flicker of something else float through those emerald orbs. Right now they only reflected happiness and something a little deeper, something Draco could not quite put his finger on.

He felt an unexplainable affection for Harry that was growing and morphing into a warm feeling of contentment. He would occasionally think about what his life would be like after school, and it was no longer the imposed expectations of his father, but instead would involve living in a trendy London flat with Harry, or working side by side at the ministry with Harry, or having dinner with Hermione and Harry and then slinking away with him to do naughty things in the dark. He once even had a nightmare about having Christmas dinner with his parents, Harry and the Weasley's, but no matter what, his thoughts always included Harry.

He often wondered if his Gryfindor felt the same, or if outside this room there was more for him. He rolled his eyes at the thought of calling Harry, "his Gryfindor," but that's how he felt about it. He was Harry's Slytherin, or at least could be, if Harry wished it so. He looked over at the object of his affection, who was lounging on his stomach and staring at him. A slow smile played on Harry's face and he darted his tongue out to wet his lips. The motion made Draco squirm, and before he could even control his actions, he was on top of the other boy, covering him in hungry kisses.

Hot fingers pried at clothing and warm mouths nipped and sucked at exposed flesh. Draco took in Harry's naked body, flushed red with want. He was pale, but not in the same manner as Draco, whose skin was more transparent then pale. Harry's was that of a person who had the potential to tan, but could never spend enough time outdoors for it to happen. His body was smoother and fuller than his own, and his stomach and arms strained with tight muscles. Playing Quidditch had done wonders for the Gryffindor, and molded his body into the perfect male specimen.

Draco looked into Harry's eyes, which were a greater treasure then any jewel in his Gringott's vault, and he sighed. He leaned down and kissed him chastely on the mouth, breathing in his scent as he pulled away to look into his eyes again. Harry's eyelashes fluttered as he smiled lazily up at him. He whispered something that Draco couldn't hear. "What?" he asked, leaning into Harry and pressing their bodies closer together.

A soft sigh escaped his soft pink lips as he repeated himself, "I lo- nothing," he stuttered.

Draco moved back again to look into Harry's eyes. He looked startled and bashful and Draco wanted to kiss the confusion from his face. Instead he smiled. "Me too," he said softly, having a pretty good idea of what Harry wanted to say. It was too soon to articulate his blossoming feelings for the proud Gryffindor, but knowing that Harry felt the same made him giddy.

An hour later they were both naked and trying to catch their breath, lying in a heap in front of the hearth. Draco was tracing unidentifiable pictures onto Harry's firm stomach and humming his contentment. Sex with Harry was mind-blowing and he could still feel the lingering tight warmth of being sheathed inside the Gryffindor's body. He could still hear his own name ringing in his ears from being cried out with every thrust, still taste Harry's cock and feel the texture of it on his tongue.

Harry groaned and pulled him closer, nestling Draco into the crook of his neck. They held each other until they both slipped into sleep.

--

Draco found himself walking down a deserted corridor that he didn't recognize. This was obviously not the dream maze he was now achingly familiar with, nor was Harry anywhere in sight. He heard a terrible cackling laughter that sent shivers down his spine. He wore his school robes and in his hand, instead of his own wand, he held another. This wand was longer than his own, and covered with a delicate leaf pattern that had been mostly worn away with time. It shined gold in the light from the torches lining the corridor wall.

"Bring it to me," called a raspy voice at the end of the hall. Looking toward the sound, Draco could see a large door cracked open, a dim light flickering from within. He made his way toward the room and stopped in front of the doorway. As Draco stood glued to the spot the door swung wider revealing the back of a large high-backed chair and a shriveled old gray hand. The skeletal hand was pointing to a limp figure on the ground.

Draco's eyes flicked to the pale body lying at the foot of the chair and gasped. Harry lay crumpled and broken, his once brilliant green eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "What do you think of your savior now, boy," the figure rasped.

"Harry," Draco whispered, willing him to get up, hoping this was all some elaborate prank.

"Just bring me the wand and I can bring him back. Just bring me the wand and this never has to happen at all," the figure rasped again.

Draco looked down at the glimmering gold wand in his hand, then back to Harry limp dead body and his world went out of focus.

--

Harry stirred awake with Draco sobbing next to him. His stomach plummeted as he tried to ask what was wrong. "I'm sorry," Harry mumbled, "We don't have to do it again. I …" A million things raced through his head as he thought of Draco regretting their time together. His movements however were inconsistent and Harry soon realized he was in the throws of a nightmare.

He tenderly shook him and planted soft kisses on his face as Draco slipped back into wakefulness. It seemed to take a moment for him to register Harry there above him, but he quickly returned his kisses with fervor, mumbling things like, "not dead," and "thank Merlin."

"I had the worst nightmare," he said finally.

Harry looked at him quizzically. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Draco opened his mouth to answer, but promptly closed it and shook his head instead. Harry only shrugged and ran his fingers through his sweat soaked hair.

"Did you dream about me dying?" Harry asked. He looked shocked but finally nodded. "How did it happen?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, you were dead when I got there."

"Got where?"

"I don't know where I was. It was a room at the end of a long stone corridor. There was someone else in the room with you, sitting in a chair."

"Voldemort," Harry told him without emotion.

"Maybe," he replied.

"No. It was him. It wasn't a dream, it was… a projection. I get them all the time." Harry looked at Draco closely. "You should be careful." A pained look crossed Draco's face, but he didn't want to say too much, not until he spoke with Dumbledore.

"What does that mean?" Draco asked sounding panicked.

He tried to smile, but feared the effort went unnoticed. "It just sounds like my dreams, and if it is… well, that isn't a good thing."

Draco let out a snort of laughter. "You dream about your death a lot then?"

"Yes."

His laughter died immediately. "Really?"

Harry nodded. "Every night. Sometimes its my own subconscious telling me I'm going to lose, and sometimes it's images he projects into my dreams, but ever since I heard the prophecy, I've had these nightmares."

Draco was eerily silent for a while then a flittering image passed through his stormy gray eyes. "You believe you're going to die." Not a question really but Harry felt like he owed him an answer anyhow so he nodded lightly and looked away.

Draco backed away from him, scrambling for his discarded clothing, which he began pulling on at once. "What," he said, trembling, "does all this mean to you then?"

"What?"

"Is that why you're doing this… with me?" Draco wasn't looking at him now, he was staring a hole through his feet.

Harry didn't understand. He reached out to take Draco's hand, but it was yanked back out of his reach. "What's going on? Look at me, Draco!"

He did, and his eyes held pain and confusion. Harry went to him, but he pulled away again until they were almost backed into a corner. "What does it matter if you have this relationship with me, if you're just going to get yourself killed like some fucking martyr!" Draco shouted.

Harry flinched but looked more resolved then ever. "Do you think want to die? It's my fucking destiny, Malfoy!" he spat.

A harsh laugh was Draco's reply. "Maybe it's my destiny to stop you from dying," he said quietly.

Harry's shoulders slumped and he looked hurt. "I hold no hope in my heart for anything like that. I can only hope to enjoy what time I have left. I want you, Draco, to fill that time with me."

Draco went to him and pulled him close, whispering, "I won't let you die," softly in his ear. Harry didn't say a word. He ran the prophecy over again in his head and let Draco hold him.

_--_


	19. Chapter 18 The Second Trial

Chapter 18 the Second Trial

**Chapter 18 the Second Trial**

Harry watched the snowfall through the Headmaster's office window. "Will he be okay, Professor?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his overstuffed chair and contemplated his tea cup. "If it is true what you say, about his dreams, then I'm afraid it is not as easy as that."

Harry looked up and caught his own reflection in Dumbledore's clear blue eyes. "You'll be able to protect him though, right? He wouldn't be susceptible to Voldemort if it weren't for me."

"It's true that your connection with Mr. Malfoy made it possible for Voldemort's link to extend to him through you, but you didn't do this willfully."

"I know," Harry replied shaking his head. "But that doesn't make me feel any better about him having my nightmares, him having the weight I hold on my shoulders taking him down with me." The headmaster merely nodded his understanding and let Harry continue. "I just need to know that when – if something happens to me, he'll be protected. I need your word professor, that you will do everything within your power to make sure he's safe."

Dumbledore watched him for a moment then nodded slowly. "Very well, Harry. You have my word."

--

Harry was pacing back and forth in the owlery, alternating between glancing briefly out the large open window for Hedwig and watching the door. He knew it wouldn't take long for Draco to find him if he wanted to, and he wanted to get these letters out before he did. He trusted Dumbledore implicitly, but with the war looming over all of them, Harry wanted to ensure back up protection for Draco if something were to happen to the Headmaster, hence the scrolls clutched in his hands for Hermione, Remus and Arthur Weasley. He knew Draco's reputation was less then perfect and didn't want anyone to doubt his allegiances in the end, especially if Harry himself was not there to defend him.

He had spent the last few days deftly avoiding the Slytherin, feeling increasingly guilty over pulling him so forcefully into a relationship, while knowing deep down, that the chances of him living were slim if even existent. He wanted nothing more then to hold tightly to Draco's hand and never let go, be how selfish would that be? How terrible would he feel if Draco actually fell in love with him, and then Harry got himself killed? It wasn't right. Too many people would already mourn his passing, and he didn't want to leave Draco broken after all was said and done.

He finally spotted his owl, a growing white dot on the horizon and in moments she landed on the perch and held out her clawed leg. Those letters would find their way, and Harry was already feeling a little less worried. He crept back down into the castle proper and made his way back to the room of requirement. It was late, and if his luck held, Draco would be asleep already.

--

His luck didn't hold. Harry walked in to find a furious Draco sitting on the edge of the bed. "This is the third night in a row you've disappeared for hours. What the hell has you sneaking all over the castle avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you," Harry replied simply, not looking him in the eyes. Draco's eyes always melted him on the spot.

Draco got up and walked to stand directly in front of him. He roughly grabbed Harry's chin making him look right at him. "You're not avoiding me?" he asked, knowing Harry wouldn't lie to him in this manner, he was well aware the hold he had on the other boy.

"I… erm," was all Harry could spit out before Draco dropped his hand and stalked away to stand in front of the fire.

"I thought as much. Are you going to tell me why you're avoiding me, or are you going to leave me to speculate on my own?" Draco asked.

Harry looked sheepishly at Draco's back. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and the flickering firelight licked around the edges, forming a deep red aura all around him. "After the other night… you can't protect me, Draco, but I can protect you. I can protect your reputation after I'm gone, and I can protect your heart."

Draco turned abruptly and bore his eyes into Harry's. "Protect my heart? I think it's a little late for that," he replied quietly. Harry went to him, but he stepped away, staying rigid with his hands crossed over his bare chest. "You would have to erase everything. You have always meant something to me from the time I was young, before I even met you. You were legend in my house, Harry, then when I discovered you would be at Hogwarts, there was the potential of friendship. After your quick and thorough rejection you became my enemy, even then you were important to me. Now this." He gestured between them then let that hand fall limply at his side as he looked down at the floor.

They just stood there like that for what seemed like days. "I didn't know," Harry said at last.

Draco looked up and caught his own reflection in Harry's emerald eyes. After a moment he just shrugged. "Its already too late for me, Harry. I'm in too deep, and I'm not turning back. I want you, this… even if it has an expiration date."

Harry smiled at him, but it was a haunted smile.

--

Draco looked around him at the large shrubbery on either side of his body. The maze felt off in a way he couldn't quite pinpoint. The feeling didn't subside even as Harry joined him. "It feels like someone is watching us," he said the moment he decided what felt wrong.

"Someone is," Harry replied simply.

"You don't mean…"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. We must be close to the second task. He watched us complete the first task as well."

Draco thought back to the first task, but couldn't place feeling Voldemort watch him, though he was fairly distracted at the time. He felt like shrinking and hiding, but he knew that would do no good. Voldemort was in his mind; there was no hiding from him. He mustered all of his power to try and shut him out. He was a fairly adept occlumens, but since his body was technically asleep, he didn't know how effective it would be. He smiled slightly when he felt Voldemort's presence dim in his mind, though he was certainly still there, lurking in the shadows of his subconscious.

It was only minutes until the boys came across the second trial. Another large archway presented itself in the path and the ground below them, which was once a patch made of dirt and rocks, was now made of finely hewn stone. They looked at each other for the briefest of moments before looking back to the archway, where a new specter floated, blocking their way.

"I have a riddle for you," tinkled the soft voice of the girl before them. It was Hermione, or at least looked like her, though her voice held the dreamy quality of Luna Lovegood. He looked over to Harry, who was gaping at the vivid copy of his best friend floating before them.

"Go on then," Draco said to her.

The specter smiled, but it was not a smile he had ever seen on Hermione's face. This smile was ancient, and wicked. Draco felt a tug in his palm and tried to hold tighter as his wand fly up and away from him. Harry's was doing the same, and they watched as the wands alighted into stone holders on each side of the maze. This seemed to trigger a reaction on the other side of the clearing ahead of them. Draco watched mesmerized as a wall on the opposite side shifted and slid aside, creating a new path.

Draco grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him, but he wouldn't budge. He just stood their staring at the ghostly Hermione. "It's not so easy as that, Draco."

Hermione laughed and shook her head at Draco. "It flies in the night, burning bright. From ashes demise, a new will arise."

"What?" Draco shouted, he had barely even been listening, still distracted from the door.

"A phoenix," Harry whispered. Hermione smiled and shimmered out of sight.

"Was that right then?" Draco was getting increasingly confused, but the specter was gone, and the path was opened, so he pulled on Harry's hand and this time he reluctantly followed.

"It can't be that easy. Something's wrong," Harry mumbled behind him.

Draco crossed the threshold and felt a crumbling under his feet, then an instant later he was dangling above an endless chasm. The only thing keeping him from falling into the pit was Harry's warm hand in his; holding tightly and pulling him back up the steep embankment. After several minutes of scrabbling and pulling Harry managed to get Draco back up and onto the path.

Draco took a minute to catch his breath before looking at the scene before him. The large stone he had stepped on was completely missing, having crumbled and fallen into the abyss below. The surrounding stones all had giant letters engraved into their faces. "You have got to be kidding me!" Draco shouted.

Harry shook his head. "It's all part of the puzzle. One false move and we fall to our death. I think we have to spell out the answer to the riddle in order to cross."

"You think?" Draco was shaking his head.

Harry looked carefully at the tiles in front of him. "It's not as if I'm an expert or anything." He shrugged.

Draco took a deep breath. "Okay, we can do this. It won't be so hard. You already knew the answer, so we just need to look for a P."

"Right." They scanned the first few stones ahead of them and both spotted it simultaneously.

Draco made a move to step on it, but Harry held him back. "We should test it or something. It's too far for me to pull you back up if it doesn't work."

He looked around and found a large rock on the floor. "This should do it, " he said handing it over to Harry.

He held it in his hand a moment as if weighing it, then gave a light practice toss. When the rock finally left his hand it landed first on the stone in front of that which they were aiming, but rolled slowly onto the one marked "P." The instant it hit that one, the stone crumbled under it and fell into the abyss.

"What the hell," Draco grumbled. He looked closer though at the original stone the rock had touched upon. It was still in tact. "The F is still there… but I don't understand. There is no F in phoenix."

Harry laughed. "I thought I was crazy for a minute. I thought maybe I didn't know how to spell. It doesn't make sense though. Do you think the maze wants us to spell it phonetically? Or maybe there is an ancient way of spelling it that starts with an F?"

"Or maybe your answer to the riddle was wrong," Draco intoned lightly, not wanting to offend Harry, but wanting to get through the second trial just the same.

"No. I know I was right." Harry didn't seem offended, but rather adamant.

"But how do you know for sure? Let's just go over it again."

Harry shook his head. "He told me the answer. He wants us to pass the trial."

Draco's eyes went wide. He carefully took down the walls in his mind blocking Voldemort out at the moment and could immediately feel him cackling. "Listen to your lover," it whispered through his mind. He shivered and looked back over to Harry.

"You feel it to I take it?"

He nodded. "I blocked him out at first, but now I can hear him speaking to me."

"You'll have to teach me how you do that… blocking him out I mean. I was never able to master it." Harry sighed, his eyes glued on the F stone.

"Gryffindor's are all rubbish at it. You're too emotional."

Harry shot him a dark glare. "Dumbledore's a Gryffindor and he's the most powerful wizard there is." He saw Harry wince and could feel the cold lashing extend through his own mind from Harry's. Voldemort didn't like what he had just said.

"Are you sure he was Gryffindor?" he asked.

"I… erm. I think so." Harry blushed and looked down at his hands. "He's never said exactly… I just assumed…"

Draco shrugged. "He might well have been. I never knew for sure. He is fairly cunning though, and father says he's a pureblood. I think he could have easily been in Slytherin."

Harry nodded. "Maybe, but then so could I." Draco smiled remembering what Harry had told him weeks ago, about almost being sorted into Slytherin. "None of that really helps us solve the puzzle though."

"I know… hey, what is his pet phoenix's name?" he asked excitedly.

"Fawkes!" Harry shouted. "Draco, you're brilliant!"

"I know," he said blushing slightly.

They went back over to the stones. "Let me go first, then when I make my way to the second stone, you follow carefully, alright?"

Draco nodded and watched as Harry stretched out and stood tentatively on the F stone, then looked around for the next one. He pointed over to it just ahead and to the right. "The A is up there."

"Thanks," Harry said as he stepped forward to claim that stone next. As soon as he was standing on the A, however, the F crumbled behind him. "What? Oh no! We can't both fit on one stone! How are we both supposed to cross?"

Draco had never wanted his wand so badly in his life. With it he could simply levitate himself across the chasm. He looked around and spotted another F stone, just a few blocks over from the one Harry had used. He looked across and was able to connect his own path to the other side that wouldn't interfere with Harry's. "It spells it out twice!" he shouted.

He took a tentative step forward and landing with firm footing on his own F. The stone began to crack under his feet though and he panicked and jumped to the next stone. Once there he made a move to leap to the next, but the stone below him was solid and secure. "I think we have to move at the same time."

Harry nodded and they counted to three before moving to their next letters, then to the next and finally to the S stones, which were about two stones away from the exit. They leapt at the same time, each grabbing purchase on the small stone landing in front of the exit.

Gasping for breath they just stayed there a moment, leaning against the walls and each other. "How are we supposed to get our wands now? Draco asked.

"Accio wands," Harry mumbled and both wands floated into his hand from across the divide.

Draco blinked several times before speaking. "You can do wandless magic?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure. Can't you?"

He shook his head. "No, Harry. I don't know any wizard that can do wandless magic. Not even my father, not even the Minister!"

Harry blushed deeply. "Dumbledore can, and so can Voldemort… I just assumed…"

"Harry, those are both tremendously powerful wizards, I… I had no idea you were so powerful."

A dark blush worked its way up Harry's face. "Maybe I have a chance of living after all." A pained look crossed his features and he collapsed to his knees.

Draco reached out and grabbed him, pulling him back up. He could feel more then hear the mocking laughter in his mind. "Leave him alone you evil bastard!" Draco shouted to the air.

Harry slid his hand up and down Draco's arm trying to calm him. "Don't let him get to you."

Draco shut his eyes and built the wall back up, effectively cutting off the maniacal laughter. His cover was sufficiently blown now. Voldemort knew his affections for Harry were real, and not some manufactured way of helping the Dark Lord succeed. Voldemort seemed not to care at the moment though. Draco only hoped his mother didn't suffer for what Draco had done.


	20. Chapter 19 Declarations

Chapter 19 Declarations

**This is a short chapter, but I hope it's worthwhile. I've been reading a fantastic Harry/Draco fic and was distraught when I found out that it probably wouldn't get finished, so I vow to all of you reading this that I will finish! I promise! It's becoming longer then I originally intended and taking on a life of it's own. **

**Chapter 19 Declarations**

It was too blustery for the boys to go outside for the rest of the week, so they made due, hiding away in their own special room. The morning tended to consist of a slow sleepy shag, followed by a trek down to breakfast. Harry knew he was going to miss taking his meals with the Slytherin when the other students returned. Then they would lounge by the fire in the room of requirement, and Harry knew that Hermione would be so proud of all the research they did while she was away. It might even make up for the fact that they completed the second trial even though she expressly told them not to go any further in the maze without her to assist them. Sometimes they would go down to the great hall for lunch, and other times they would just sneak down to the kitchens and bring food back up with them.

Harry had never felt so relaxed and content, despite the niggling feeling that all this would crumble away the moment he had to finally face Voldemort. Draco soothed his soul in a way no one had been able to in all his sixteen years. He often wondered what his parents or Sirius would think of his chosen paramour. Would they approve, or would they be offended that he hadn't chosen a pretty Gryffindor girl? He liked to think that his parents would just want him to be happy no matter what.

Draco rarely talked about his family. It was obvious that he felt betrayed by his father to some degree, not for being a Death Eater, but for getting himself caught and leaving the burden on being the head of house on his teenage shoulders. Harry couldn't really blame him; it was a lot of responsibility. Almost as much as being destined to save the world.

Narsissa had sent Draco a letter after the second trial. It seemed Voldemort was only too happy to reveal his relationship with Harry to her in great detail. Draco wouldn't let him read the note and immediately threw it in the fire. He was moody and cross the remainder of the day. It seemed mother dearest didn't approve. Harry never saw him write her back, and he wondered if there was something he should do to try and ease Draco's pain.

As they sat in front of the fire enjoying a bit of eggnog and discussing students returning the following day, something clicked into place. More then ever before Harry wanted to kill Voldemort and live, wanted to go on after Hogwarts and spend a quiet companionable life with his Slytherin, Draco. He knew that he would do whatever it took to return from battle, to return to him.

He looked over to find Draco watching the flames stirring uproariously in the fireplace. The way the orange and red flashed against stormy gray made something deep in the pit of hit stomach clench.

"Draco," he whispered, barely audible. Draco didn't answer but turned his heard to look at the Gryffindor, one eyebrow raised in question. "I love you."

--

Draco knew his mouth was hanging open, but try as he might, he couldn't seem to do anything about it. Of all the asinine things he had expected his Gryffindor to say, 'I love you' was not one of them.

First the letter from his mother informing his that if this was how he wanted to carry on his life 'fornicating with traitors' then he could cease calling himself a Malfoy. He read the letter several times before throwing it into the blaze, but still couldn't decide if his mother was more unhappy that he was gay, or at his choice in men. It was probably a healthy combination of both he decided at last.

It had irked him beyond measure that she had dared comment on his actions when her husband, his father, had landed himself in prison because of his own decisions. At least what he was doing wouldn't get anyone hurt.

Well that wasn't entirely true. Now that he pissed off Voldemort, the filthy snake could very well take it out on his mother. Also there was the bit about Harry's death sentence. Was Draco ready to commit himself to loving someone, who told him on a daily basis that he was prophesied to die? No, that wouldn't be very intelligent. He would stake his claim on Harry while he could, but there would be no admissions of love. That way if Harry did die in the final battle, the loss would not seem so great.

Even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't true, but something about verbalizing his feelings for the proud lion made it all seem to real. Did he love Harry? He refused to think about it. If he didn't already, he knew he could fall in love him if he only allowed himself. After the war, if Harry lived, they could have this talk again.

He looked up at his friend, his lover and saw a calm mask formed over his usually expressive features. His eyes however, betrayed everything. The emerald green eyes blazed with panic and confusion, and as much as he didn't want to cause Harry the pain of rejection, he didn't know another way. He wasn't ready to say it, he just wasn't.

Harry's voice broke through the silence, crackling like the fire. "You don't have to say anything, I just wanted you to know."

"Okay." Draco knew it was probably the singular worst thing he could say at the moment, even worse than just remaining quiet, but he couldn't stop his traitorous mouth in time. He saw Harry dissolve right before his eyes, and it pained him. The once mighty wizard, who looked as though he could in fact one day kill Voldemort, faded leaving behind a scared teenage boy.

Draco wanted to go to him, wanted to tell Harry that he loved him as well, but it was too late. He had made his decision and his answer had already done its damage.

Harry didn't say another word, merely turned back to look at the flames, ignoring Draco's pleading glances. After what seemed like ages Draco slipped from his armchair and stood next to Harry, offering his hand, "Come on, lets go to bed."

Green eyes stared at the hand for a moment before turning back to the flames. "I'll be there in a bit."

His heart sunk but he knew he could only blame himself for Harry's coldness, so he pulled himself heavily into bed and watched the back of Harry's chair for movement. When he finally drifted to sleep he was still the only one in bed.

--

Authors Notes: I really enjoy everyone's comments, and I do try to reply to as many as I can. Thank you all for your words of encouragement and support.


	21. Chapter 20 Dream Separation

Chapter 20 Dream Separation

**Chapter 20 Dream Separation**

Draco arrived in the maze alone. It felt odd and unnerving being there without Harry, who, he rationalized, was still in his armchair by the fire, still angry with him no doubt. He began walking slowly along the path, keeping alert to any danger no that he was without help or back up. A voice cackled through his mind and he could almost see the twisted reptile face hovering in front of him. "I can feel your loneliness like a palpable wave, Draco."

"Shove off, snake face," he quietly spoke to the voice in his mind.

He was met by more of the cackling laughter. "Trust your instincts, boy. You can't tell Potter you love him, not when I'll be killing him soon."

That rankled him. "Harry. Will. Beat. You," he spoke the words curtly and assuredly. He had no doubt Harry would kill the monster; his only concern was if the final battle would leave Harry dead or dying as well.

Voldemort's laughter died quickly then. "You honestly believe that **child** could best me in battle?" The shouts in Draco's mind seemed to scrape at his skin painfully.

"He already has, what is it… four times now? No wait, five. He beat you when he was barely a year old. Some wizard you are." Draco braced himself for the expected onslaught from the dark wizard, but none came. He thought he had effectively driven him away until the sky darkened above him, turning from pale dusk to full blown night. Storm clouds gathered above him and lightning streaked the sky.

"I will mark you as my own, Draco. I will enjoy breaking you," a slithery voice slinked through his mind. Draco shuddered just as a bolt of lightning struck the maze ahead of him. The bright lightning reminded him of Harry's scar and he thought of him. He thought of his face and his touch and the way he tasted. He thought of his messy pitch-black hair and his startling green eyes. He thought of how much he loved him, and he knew that when the time came, he would do anything to stand at Harry's side as he took down this evil wizard, this sick demented half-blood.

--

'I love you' had he really said that? Harry all but smacked himself in the forehead for his stupidity. Draco had gone to bed ages ago, seemingly unfazed by Harry's statement. Harry just stared into the small flames, now burning down to embers in the fireplace, thinking about what an idiot he had been. Had he really thought Draco would see him as more then just a friend with benefits? Had he expected the Slytherin to confess his undying love and commitment? Why was he so shocked at the response, or lack thereof?

He really had thought the Slytherin felt the same. This quick progression from nemesis to lover must have addled his mind, he decided. No, there was no way it would work outside the walls of Hogwarts. Even if Harry lived through the battle with Voldemort, he wanted to one day have a stable home and a family of his own, maybe be an Auror, or even one day come back as a professor. None of those dreams saw Draco fitting into the puzzle, and he was sure Draco had his own hopes and dreams for the future that didn't include The Boy Who Lived tagging along. Maybe they could remain friends, but even that seemed unlikely.

Harry fell asleep there in his armchair and dreamed about a life after Hogwarts, A life after Voldemort.

He stood at King's Cross Station, just outside Platform 9 ¾ and pulled his wife into a sideways hug. His wife looked like an older version of Ginny, which also reminded him of pictures of his mum. She pulled two young boys aside and gave them quick kisses, much to their dismay. "Now James, Albus I want you both to be good, and James, don't pick on your little brother."

James rolled his eyes but nodded and smiled when Harry leaned over and ruffled his head. "Listen to your mum. Albus, don't worry about the sorting. We'll love you no matter what." Harry gave them both light hugs and shooed them away towards the train.

A little girl pulled at his pants leg and he lifted her up and twirled her around, causing her to squeal in delight. Hermione and Ron looked on, holding hands and ushered their own children off the platform and onto the train.

Out of the corner of his eye a flash of white beamed, separating an older Draco Malfoy from the crowd. He had his own son and wife clinging to his arm as he made his way over to where Harry stood. He nodded curtly in Harry direction, and he could feel his face flush at the small gesture. He saw the boy, who looked much as Draco had at eleven, pull his father down to whisper in his ear and point at Harry. He watched as Draco nodded at the child and they walked over to Harry.

"Potter."

"Malfoy."

Draco tugged his son, who had clutched onto his fathers leg and hid carefully behind it, and placed the child in front of him. "This is my son, Scorpius. He didn't believe I was once friends with the savior of the wizarding world, so I told him I would introduce him to you." He looked down at the small blonde boy. "Scorpius, say hello to Harry Potter."

The boy smiled meekly up at Harry and it made him smile. Usually he hated getting attention, and kept his scar deftly covered by his messy black hair, but something about this was different. He looked at the child, who bore such a striking resemblance to Draco, that he wondered briefly if his wife had even contributed. Harry held down his hand to the small boy. "Hello Scorpius. I'm Harry." His eyes met Draco's then, and the cold gray shifted into the warm molten silver that he knew at one time had been for him alone. "Your father and I were very good friends."

The dream shifted then, and suddenly the blonde boy had bright green eyes paired with his silky blonde hair. Draco was telling Harry how much he had missed him, and began kissing him passionately, pinning him against the brick edifice of the platform. "I'm sorry I left you, Harry. I'm sorry."

--

Draco smiled at the look of sheer bliss on Harry's face. He was still curled up in the armchair in front of the fireplace, his slight form taking up hardly any room in the overstuffed chair. He was glad Harry wasn't being plagued with the same dreams as he had been.

He had woken up alone in bed feeling safe and warm with his thoughts about Harry. He felt colder as he found the bed empty, and saw Harry's shadow from the firelight. He walked over and found him dreaming and talking in his sleep. Something about his father maybe, because he kept mentioning the name James. It was otherwise unintelligible. He sat down at the foot of the armchair and leaned back against it, taking Harry's hand in his own and drifted back into sleep.

When he woke up next he had an ache in his neck and Harry was awake and watching him. He was in the same place, leaning against the chair with Harry's smaller hand in his own. He smiled up at the dark haired boy and it was returned.

"You were having nice dreams." It wasn't really a question, because Draco could tell they were nice by the look on his face when he had woken up earlier.

"I was. For a change," Harry responded.

"What about?"

"I dreamed I was married to Ginny, and we were dropping our kids off at King's cross."

Draco felt more than a small twinge of jealousy at the description. By the look on Harry's face it seemed he had been having glorious life fulfilling dreams. He felt angry that fantasies with the Weaselette and a large brood of children would elicit those looks of pure joy from his Gryffindor. "Oh?" was all he managed to say.

If Harry caught the look of indignation coming from Draco, he didn't say anything. "You were there too. You had a son who looked just like you, and he saw me across the station and wanted to meet me."

"Why?" Draco asked, his curiosity peaked.

Harry puffed himself up in a haughty manner. "Because I'm the savior of the wizarding world, of course." Draco scoffed but motioned for Harry to continue. "His name was Scorpius."

"Whose? My son?" Harry nodded. "You have very vivid dreams, Potter."

Harry cringed slightly at the use of his last name. "I guess." He shrugged slightly. "It all went wonky from there though. Things shifted, I imagined your son with gr…" Harry stopped abruptly and a red wash crept up his neck coloring his cheeks.

Draco suddenly wanted to know what had happened in the dream. "What! What did you see?"

"Nothing important. It just shifted to you and I making out right there in front of everyone." Harry was blushing furiously now and Draco felt suddenly content. Harry wanted him, even in his dreams about a happy straight family; he had managed to wiggle his way into Harry's thoughts for the future. It pleased Draco to no end that Harry wanted him so badly. It was only fair, since the feeling plagued Draco constantly. He found his mind drifting off more and more to incorporate Harry into his post-Hogwarts plans. He was happy the feeling was mutual, though how realistic, he didn't know. "A bit of an exhibitionist hmm, Harry?"

Harry only smiled and petted Draco's head with his free hand. It seemed Harry had forgiven him for the previous night and Draco was glad it could go back to normal for a little while longer. He had a dreaded feeling that the calm wouldn't last long though. It had been a niggling feeling at the back of his mind, that whenever they reached the center of that maze, it would mean it was time for Harry to face off with Voldemort.

Draco was going to cherish what time he had left with the beautiful scruffy Gryffindor while he could, because he doubted it would take long to get past the final trial. More than anything he wanted to prolong it, keep Harry from completing the maze, but maybe whatever was there would help Harry win. Maybe that was why Voldemort wanted it for himself. Maybe it was a mighty weapon, in which case, he wanted Harry to get it because then maybe he would live, and come back to him.

He wanted his Harry to come back to him.

--

**Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming!**


	22. Chapter 21 Return of the Know It All

Chapter 21 Return of the Know-It-All

**Chapter 21 Return of the Know-It-All**

Harry and Draco made the most of their last opportunity to eat breakfast together. By lunchtime, the tables would return to normal and Gryffindor would be once again separated from Slytherin by two other houses and they would have to go back to long distant glances and knowing looks across the great hall.

It also wouldn't take long for their sense of peace to crumble. The school had been practically empty these last two weeks, and even though the few left around them never made a comment on the unlikely duos newfound companionship, it wouldn't stop them from gabbing with their housemates about it when everyone returned later that day.

Draco was already bracing himself for the cold stares and ridicule that would follow him when his own Slytherin housemates found out about him and Harry. They had not bothered disguising their affection for one another, and he knew that even though they never did anything like kiss in the corridors, they could have most certainly been spied holding hands once or twice. The thought of it brought a twinge of color to his cheeks. His previous cautious calculating self would never have been caught doing such things. Not even with a Slytherin girl, let alone a Gryffindor boy.

Something about Harry made him drop all his guards, made him say and do things he wouldn't even think of before. He wasn't looking forward to the backlash he would get for it from his fellow Slytherin's, though.

He looked over at Harry who was staring off into space and he wondered if the Gryffindor had the same concerns. Maybe his housemates would be more sympathetic and kind, but somehow he doubted it. He knew from experience that the lions could be just as prejudice, if not more so against his house as the Slytherin's were to them. It was by far the biggest rivalry in the school, much larger even than the animosity Slytherin had toward the idiot Hufflepuff's.

It was a common misconception that Slytherin's were mean and cruel, though they could be if the purpose served, but it was much more than that. Slytherin's were more… emotionally impaired. His housemates all came from pureblood families, most of them quite wealthy, and had all undergone years of tutoring before setting foot at Hogwarts. In addition to vast amounts of magical training, it was also instilled into every single one of them that emotions were weakness.

Draco still believed this, however, he was having a much harder time schooling his emotions into a tight cold mask now that he was with Harry. The infuriating Gryffindor was the antithesis of everything Draco had been taught from a young boy. That was probably part of the allure though, especially since discovering the flaws in other things his father had instilled in him growing up.

Harry was still staring off into the distance and Draco took a moment to study the proud Gryffindor. He loved the way his messy black hair curled perfectly around his ears and he knew that even though it looked rough and untamed, it was as soft as silk. In fact he often had to stop himself from just reaching out and running his hand through it. He also loved how his modesty was reflected in the way he kept his hair. No matter how long or short he decided to wear it, he always kept the fringe long enough to cover his famous scar. Draco had often thought over the last few years that Harry was fame hungry, things just managed to happen around him to keep him in the spotlight, but after getting to know him it was obvious that it couldn't be further from the truth.

Both boys turned as a couple owls flew in to deliver post to a few of the students in the hall. Draco watched the look of faint disappointment cross Harry's features when neither of the owls flew toward them. He imagined Harry rarely got post and felt a little sad for the Gryffindor, though he imagined he would be experiencing the same thing now that his mother was shunning his existence. "Expecting something?"

Harry merely shrugged. "I sent out a couple letters earlier in the week, and I expected to hear something back by now."

Draco didn't like it when Harry was purposefully vague. It usually meant it concerned Draco directly and he had a sudden urge to pull the information from the other boy. "It was about me wasn't it?" The direct approach always seemed to work the best with the Gryffindor; he appeared to be immune to subtle hints and wouldn't fall for them.

The edge of Harry's mouth curled into a slight smile. "Maybe."

Draco scoffed. "I insist you tell me. If you've been slandering my name all over England I have a right to know." He tried for his best sneer, but even without a mirror he knew it fell short.

It had no effect on Harry, who just smiled wider. "I was just sending back an interview to Witch Weekly detailing our budding new relationship."

Draco laughed. "Fine, don't tell me. Just keep in mind Slytherin's have a way of sussing out information on their own."

"Right, and how would you do that exactly?"

"I have my sources," he replied with a wink.

It was Harry's turn to laugh. "Something tells me Hedwig isn't going to talk."

"You just think you're so clever," he responded, drawing out the words and trying not to laugh.

Harry shrugged, smirking. "I think it's common knowledge that I'm the brains in this relationship."

"Does that make me the beauty?" Draco asked, batting his eyelashes coquettishly.

Harry's piercing green eyes bored into his own and he could almost see the lustful thoughts flicking through them. "Obviously."

--

Harry made his way to the common room before lunch. Students had been pouring back into the school and he was eager to see Hermione. He greeted several other Gryffindor's along the way but only got curt nods and short hellos in response. He didn't have time to pause and contemplate it however, because he spotted Hermione walking through the portrait hole.

He ran to catch up and managed to grasp her arm before she headed up the stairs to the girls dormitory. She jumped on him like a feral cat, hugging him roughly. "Harry, you gave me a fright with that letter!"

Harry blushed. "Sorry. I just had to get them out. I'll explain everything that's been going on once you're all settled in."

"Them? So you sent more than just my letter?"

Harry shrugged. "Well yeah. I don't want just any one person to be responsible for his safety."

She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Harry, who else did you send letters to?"

Harry felt bewildered. "Remus and Arthur. Why?"

"I take it you haven't read the Profit lately?" she huffed.

He scowled. "You know I never read that rubbish."

She sighed dramatically. "Well that rubbish had your letter on the front page yesterday. Someone leaked it. I couldn't imagine Professor Lupin or Mr Weasley doing so, but… " She paled slightly and stepped away from Harry.

"What?"

"Ron." It was a whisper barely audible even to Harry in his close proximity. "I'm going to kill him!"

"You think Ron leaked my letter to the paper?" He didn't know how to feel. He'd tried not to think about Ron since he got himself expelled and every time he did he was flooded with a wave of guilt and betrayal. What he did to Draco had been despicable and unforgivable, but he kept thinking that if he had only been honest with his friend from the beginning, than maybe the whole incident could have been avoided.

"He must have. I can't think of anyone else that would have had access that hated you so desperately."

"Plenty of people hate me Hermione… wait… Ron hates me?" Harry was crushed. His oldest friend seemed lost to him forever.

She looked compassionately at Harry. "He blames you for his expulsion. He thinks you could have talked Dumbledore into letting him stay."

"What? That's ridiculous!" Harry shouted, his guilt quickly turning into rage. He was angered that his best friend, the person who was supposed to know him so well, would think that Harry would use any of his fame or influence to keep Ron from being disciplined. It wasn't Harry's place, in fact he had asked Dumbledore if there wouldn't be another way, but he had been insistent that 'violence such as what Mr Weasley inflicted upon Mr Malfoy will never be tolerated within these walls.'

"I know," she replied with a pacifying hand on his arm, "what he did justified expulsion, but he feels like you chose Malfoy over him, and he's hurt and angry."

"He told you this?" His head was reeling. Did he pick Draco over Ron? In a way he supposed he did, but it didn't have to come down to that. If he chose Draco it was only because Ron made him choose, not because he wanted to. If he could have his way, Ron would still be at Hogwarts and they would still be best mates. He knew the likelihood of Draco and Ron being friendly was probably slim to none, but they could at least learn to be civil to one another.

"Not in so many words, but yes. I wrote to him at the Burrow over the holiday and he was still angry with you in the letter he wrote back."

Harry's shoulders sagged. He knew Ron's temper and knew he could hold a grudge. Back in fourth year he spent months hating Harry for something he didn't even do, but Ron had been too stubborn to listen. He tried to shrug it off. "Well what does it matter if the letter got leaked. All it says is that Draco's not a Death Eater and that I want him protected."

"Harry," Hermione huffed as if she were talking to a small child, "sometimes you can be so naive. You of all people should know well enough how the Profit likes to twist things around and make something bigger out of them. They've only used certain lines of the letter in their reporting and it makes it look like your consorting with the son of a known, and might I add imprisoned, Death Eater and that you're trying to bully people into protecting his identity."

"I… how the hell did they get that out my letter?" Harry shouted, exasperated.

"I don't know, Harry, but lines like 'I want him protected at all costs' and 'he's important to me, so if anything happens, he must be kept out of the Ministries grasp' don't make it too hard to give the public the wrong impression."

Harry slumped into a nearby armchair. "I don't know what to do, Hermione. I can't even write a letter to people I trust without strangers attacking me. Its not fair."

Hermione took a seat on the arm of the chair and stoked his head. "I know, love. I know. You know its just going to get worse the more involved you get with Malfoy."

Harry nodded. "I know, but… I think I'm in love with him," he said quietly.

Hermione's gasp brought everyone's attention though. "Does he know?" she whispered.

"I told him last night," he replied, nodding.

"What did he say?"

"Okay."

"What?"

"He said 'okay'," Harry said a little shyly.

Hermione pulled him into a deep hug. "Harry, I'm so sorry. That's awful. Would you like me to hex him for you?"

He laughed. "No, it's mostly sorted out now. I think he feels similar, but is too scared or something." He shrugged. "Anyhow, it's probably for the best. Who knows how long I'll be around anyhow?"

"Harry, I swear to Merlin if you don't stop talking like that you won't have to wait for Voldemort to kill you. I'll do you in myself." She brandished her wand for emphasis. Harry smirked at he and she scowled. "I think you've been spending a little too much time with the ferret," at his questioning look she continued, "his mannerisms are beginning to rub off on you."

The smirk was quickly replaced by a genuine Harry smile and she relaxed slightly. "I trust you'll keep me in line?"

"Of course." She said, smiling and petting his head lightly.

--

Hermione didn't remain in a good mood. By the time she showered changed and arrived at the Room of Requirement for lunch with Harry and Draco she was feeling better, but after they explained that they went through the second trial she was livid.

"I thought I told you not to go any further in the maze without me here to help!" She was shouting and cursing and pacing around the spacious room.

"Hermione," Harry said smiling, "we're fine."

"Thank Merlin for that, but you both took huge risks!"

Harry explained about the poison and how the maze wouldn't let them just remain stationary and how they really had no choice but to continue. It made little difference to her however. Not even telling her about all the research they had been doing over the last two weeks made much of a difference in her mood.

At least not until she actually saw the books.

"Harry, these are magnificent, from Dumbledore's own collection you said?" Harry nodded. "Do you think he would mind if I…" she whispered, rubbing her hand across one of the books like it was a long lost lover.

"I'm sure he expects you to pour over them immediately," Harry said laughing. "In fact, he would probably be offended if you didn't"

--

Draco stayed out of the discussion between Granger and Harry. His mind was still reeling from what Harry had told him about the letters and the Profit story and Ron. He couldn't fathom what had possessed Harry to write those letters, but he felt strangely warm and fuzzy to know that Harry cared so much he would insist others protect him even in Harry's absence. He also felt slightly disgruntled. He was a powerful wizard in his own right and could take care of himself. Still, the gesture only went to further emphasize what Harry had told him the previous evening.

Harry loved him.

He was a little flustered about the Daily Profit report. He would normally pitch a fit and let his father take care of the paper and the reporters involved, but it seemed this would take some finesse of his own. He would get a copy of the letter from Hermione and contact the paper himself and demand a retraction.

As for Ron, he suspected Hermione was correct in her assumption. The Weasel always had a volatile temper and now it seemed he was directing his anger at not just him, but Harry as well. It wasn't fair, but then life often fell far short of fair. He didn't think it was his place to step in on that particular matter.

The thing that had been bothering him the most lately, however, he decided he needed to speak on right away. "Granger, did you know our Harry could do wandless magic?"

--

Hermione looked first at Malfoy questioningly, then at Harry when what Draco had said finally struck home. "Harry, is that true?"

Harry merely shrugged slightly and went back to looking at the book in her hands.

She promptly snapped it shut with a loud thud and tapped her foot waiting for Harry to elaborate.

He didn't.

"Well?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"I guess I can," Harry replied, not looking up.

"You guess?" she asked, a look of frustration and awe plainly on her face.

Harry looked up, clearly embarrassed, and met Hermione's glare. "Yes, I can do wandless magic." He turned to scowl at Draco next. "Thanks, Malfoy!" Draco merely shrugged and made a gesture of feigned innocence.

"Why wouldn't you want me to know that?" she demanded, looking offended.

Harry felt awkward about the whole thing after Draco had made a huge deal about it a few nights previous. It made him feel like even more of a freak, and all he wanted to be was normal… well a normal wizard anyway. "It's yet another thing I have in common with him."

Hermione sighed and he knew if anyone could understand it would be her. "How long have you seen able to use wandless magic, Harry?" He voice was soft and placating but it didn't match the worry lines across her face.

He shrugged again. "I was doing accidental magic before I even came to Hogwarts, and I didn't have a wand back then. I've been doing spells without it off and on as long as I've known I was a wizard. Mostly little things like summoning my wand, or my glasses or my broom. It saves time. I feel a little depleted afterward though, as if it takes more energy to cast spells without a wand."

"Well maybe it has nothing to do with Voldemort's powers, sweetie. Maybe you were born with the innate ability. Have you done any other spells? Anything larger? More difficult?"

Draco sat in his armchair watching the conversation with rapt attention. Hermione had a way of getting Harry to open up that was completely unmatched. Draco felt a twinge of jealousy at Harry's bond with the young witch. He had been trying to get him to talk about it for days, and here in the span of fifteen minutes, she had him spilling his guts about it.

"I made a patronus once or twice," Harry replied meekly.

Hermione shook he head. "Does Dumbledore know?"

Harry scoffed. "What doesn't he know?"

"Well maybe he knows, but if even I've never noticed, than it stands to reason that he may not." She took a deep breath and watched Harry carefully. "You understand that it takes a very powerful wizard to do wandless magic?"

Harry nodded. "I didn't until Malfoy told me, but yeah. I do now." Draco flinched at the use of his last name but didn't say anything about it. Obviously Harry was still pissed at him. He wondered how long he would continue calling him 'Malfoy' when he was angry.

Hermione was chewing on her bottom lip and not meeting Harry's gaze. "Hermione?" Harry tried to quietly get her attention. "You're not… afraid of me are you? I couldn't take it if… "

Hermione's head shot up at the sound of his voice, so broken and delicate like a small child. She leapt at him and smothered him in a forceful hug. "Merlin no, Harry, I could never be afraid of you," she practically sobbed into his hair.

Draco watched on as the two old friends embraced and the jealous pit in his stomach grew larger. Would he ever have that sort of openness with the boy? Would he ever be able to hold Harry as he cried or vice versa… not that Malfoy's cried. Ever.

He knew that if Harry told Hermione that he loved her just then, that she wouldn't hesitate responding likewise. Suddenly he wanted Harry to tell him again, so he could tell Harry he loved him, too. To shout it, anything that would allow him to hold the now shuddering Gryffindor and comfort him.


	23. Chapter 22 Revelations

Author's notes: Thanks to everyone who left me comments. I read and enjoy them all and try to reply to most! I'm just cresting 50K words and I can't believe it. This story was originally supposed to be about 10-15 chapters long, and it has morphed into a giant monster all its own. Thanks to everyone who reads it, your comments and encouragement keep me updating it faster. Heres another chapter for you to chew on.

**Chapter 22 Revelations**

"Well, this clears up a few things." Dumbledore gazed over his teacup at Harry and winked. "I had always suspected as much, and then with your foray into the maze it made the possibility far more likely, but thank you for confirming my speculation. I presume Miss Granger put you up to the task?"

Harry smiled sheepishly and nodded. "I figured you knew, and only recently discovered that it was a unique ability."

"Yes, Harry, it is. Only a select few wizards can tap into their magic in such a way. Most of them require the use of wands to focus the magical energy from their bodies toward their intended result. Now what you need to learn is how to absorb energy from the world around you so that the wandless magic doesn't deplete your own innate magic."

Harry gaped. "I can do that?"

"Oh yes, Harry. There is magical energy in everything, more in some places than others, of coarse. For instance, the land the castle is built upon is rich with energy, which is what makes it ideal for students who have not yet learned to control their magical abilities. Because of your level of powers, if you concentrate, you should be able to visualize the magical energy in any given location. In fact, you can even pull magical energy from other people or creatures, which can come in handy during a battle, as I'm sure you could guess."

He couldn't absorb everything the headmaster was telling him. Harry couldn't fathom sucking the magical energy away from another person, or for that matter the fact that he truly had powers superior to those around him. "Are you sure you're not mistaken, professor? I don't feel as though I have any special abilities. I'm nowhere near top of my class even; in fact Hermione is far better at spell work than I am."

The elderly wizard chuckled. "Indeed Miss Granger is a very special and clever witch, but she does not have the kind of power that you possess. I think you would find that if you applied yourself you would probably find yourself, much to Miss Granger's dismay, at the top of all your classes."

"All but potions, I bet," Harry muttered.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, potions does take a kind of finesse and steady hand that Gryffindor's by nature rarely have, your mother being an exception to that rule."

"Even if I inherited my mother's abilities in potions, Snape would still hate me and take points every chance he got."

"Professor Snape," Dumbledore intoned with a raised authoritative eyebrow, "does what he thinks is best for his students. He shows you a strong hand because he feels that is what you need to do your best. He doesn't hate you, Harry, quite the opposite in fact."

Harry blanched. What did the headmaster know that he wasn't saying? "Professor. Do you…"

The headmaster halted him with a finger. "Now, now. This is not my place to discuss with you. If you would like to know the depth of Professor Snape's attitude toward you, I suggest speaking with him about it directly." Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and nodded instead. "Good, now where were we? Ah, yes. Mage craft."

"Pardon?"

"Hm? Oh, Mage Craft. It's what it is you do, Harry. It's an innate ability, passed on to you from your father, though he never had an aptitude for it such as yourself, but he carried the genetic background that transferred the ability to you…"

"So it wasn't another thing Voldemort passed on to me?" Harry blurted.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the interruption, but didn't chastise him for it. "No, Harry. Were you worried about that?" Harry nodded "I can assure you it is traceable through your bloodline. Powers like these cannot be transferred by what Voldemort did to you."

"It just seems like too much of a coincidence that he and I have even more powers in common, but that he's not responsible," Harry muttered.

The headmaster sighed and smiled sadly. "I know this is a lot, perhaps too much to expect you to comprehend all at once, but you share these gifts with Voldemort, because you share a blood line with him." He raised a hand at Harry's imminent interruption. "I will give you the books and charts you will no doubt wish to look over, but essentially you and Voldemort are cousins, distant cousins. The Potter line is an ancient one and can be traced back to not only the Black ancestry line, but also Salazar Slytherin himself."

"That can't be possible can it? I mean in second year I thought that I could be the heir of Slytherin, but I wasn't, it was Riddle."

Dumbledore shook his head, "No, your line was much more muddled and intermingled than Riddle's. You are not a direct descendent as he is, but you can trace your line back to him nonetheless. Though many of the current pureblood families can trace their ancestry back to one of the four founders."

"But I'm not even pureblood."

"No, but your father was, and you are closer than you think. Lily's family were not solely a muggle line; they were a wizarding family until three generations ago when Magdalene Ravenclaw married a muggle, Thomas Evans, and their child, Lily's grandfather, was a squib. That's why Lily's parents were so thrilled that Lily was born with full magical ability and why they insisted she marry a pureblood in order to re-strengthen the line. You see you're closer to a pureblood than you suspected."

Harry just sat back, completely dumbfounded and overwhelmed by the information Dumbledore was relating. "Are you saying my parents marriage was arranged?" This went against everything he had thought about his parents. He imagined them marrying for love, not obligation.

"Well, yes and no. When it was discovered that Lily was a witch, her parents arranged for her to marry into a pureblood line and promised her to another wizard her age, someone, in fact, that she met before coming to Hogwarts. However, she fell in love with your father and pleaded her parents to break the arrangement, and since your father came from a pureblood line as well, they agreed to transfer the arrangement over to the Potter's."

Harry sighed wondering why he was only now finding out so much important information about his family. At least his idea of James and Lily marrying for love wasn't so far fetched, but it only created more questions. "Who was she originally promised…" He felt a little twinge of nausea as an idea settled upon him. "It was Snape wasn't it?"

The headmaster narrowed his eyes at the petulant Gryffindor. "Yes, it was indeed Professor Snape who your mother was betrothed to. She cared for him a great deal, and they were dear friends in spite of the separation of houses, but in the end, she fell in love with James, though she was loath to do so."

Harry smiled at that. He recalled vividly the stories his Godfather and Remus would tell him about his father's clumsy attempts at wooing his mother. She had wanted nothing to do with him and often rejected his advances. "You can't help who you fall in love with," Harry said before even realizing it.

Dumbledore raised a large bushy gray eyebrow and held a look of amusement mixed with concern. "Very True, Harry. I wonder," he began thoughtfully, stroking his beard, "what is your relationship with Mr Malfoy?"

Harry blushed. "Is that important, sir?"

"It might be. There is prophecy that I believe may involve the two of you." He ignored Harry's scowl and pressed on. "I started doing research when you told me about your dreams in the maze. I knew there had to be a reason that you and Draco were selected to start this task, and I found what I believe is the answer in this book." He turned the heavy volume around so that Harry could see it. It read 'Great Unfulfilled Prophesies of Our Time' on the cover and with a flick of his finger the book opened to a page toward the back. The page reminded him of an onions skin and it was tarnished with age. Two thirds down the page was a passage that seemed to glow with a halo around the words.

Harry leaned over and read the highlighted passage aloud. "The Pale Dragon will make a traitorous union. The lion is the key to releasing the gilded soul. Betrayal and death fall in its wake. The lion must fall before the Dragon can be redeemed" Harry read it again several times quietly to himself before saying a word. "You think Draco is the pale dragon?"

Dumbledore nodded, and Harry guarded his expressions carefully. "And you are, I believe, the lion."

"Because of our traitorous union?" he laughed, but not kindly.

The headmaster tilted his head to one side as if studying the younger boy. "I don't think it means traitorous in that sense. I think it is referring to the fact that you are from naturally opposing sides, but it may have multiple meanings. These things often do."

Harry sat back and rubbed his temples. This was all too much. Too much to take in all at once, and too much for a sixteen year old to have to deal with. "Say this prophesy is about Draco and I, what's the gilded soul, and what does it mean the lion must fall? Is it saying that I die? Because I can't die for Voldemort and for Draco," Harry muttered bitterly.

"No one says you must die for either of them. This one says you must fall before the dragon can be redeemed, which intones a choice. You may have a choice of saving yourself or Mr Malfoy, or falling could refer to something else entirely. These things are often vague enough for people to interpret in many ways. The part that concerns me most is the bit about the Gilded Soul. That's the name the Order gave to the item in the center of the maze."

"So, what is it?"

"Harry," the headmaster narrowed his eyes at him again, "you know I cannot reveal that to you. What I can say, as I did before, is that the Gilded Soul is an item Voldemort wants desperately, and he will do whatever it takes to get a hold of it."

"Draco hates him as much as I do. He wouldn't let Voldemort get it, whatever it is." Harry felt certain of that.

Dumbledore leaned back in his large chair and looked at Harry quizzically. "It is possible that Voldemort could persuade your companion, perhaps through gifts or even fear, to give him the item. He does still hold the boys mother captive does he not?" Harry nodded, feeling slightly less sure of himself. If giving Voldemort a nondescript trinket would save his own mother, it might be enough persuasion even for him, and he knew he was far more morally scrupulous than Draco. "Even if that weren't the case, the power emanating from the item will be intoxicating. It could cloud Mr Malfoy's normally logical decision making skills."

"So what am I supposed to do? Apparently I'm the key, so I'm going to free this item from the maze, but Draco's always there with me, how am I supposed to keep it away from him?"

"All good questions, my boy." Dumbledore looked down at Harry with respectful kindness. "You should be the one to retrieve the item, and when you do, you'll bring it back here to me directly. I can keep it safe and away from Voldemort's reach. If Draco were to get it, it would be far too easy to steal it from the boy."

Harry nodded. That made sense; it would be too hard to keep it from the vile snake within these castle walls. He got up and paced the expansive office, eliciting a coo from Fawkes every time he approached its perch. "I think that should be manageable. I'll just tell him of the prophecy and he'll understand why it has to be done that way."

The headmaster stood quickly. "No, Harry he mustn't know about the passage I let you read. We don't know if we can trust him yet and it is far too important."

"I trust him," Harry shouted, "and this is too much for me to handle on my own to have to lie to him on top of it all!"

Dumbledore's voice was soft and soothing when he next spoke, but it held an edge to it that made Harry aware he was not to be disobeyed. " I do not trust him. He's the son of Voldemort's right hand man, and the Dark Lord holds too much that the boy finds precious in his twisted grasp. I cannot let this item pass into his hands, and I'm sorry if it offends you, but Draco is not to know. This prophecy unsettles me and I don't know what part our pale dragon has to play just yet."

"Fine," Harry grumbled begrudgingly.

"I want your word, Harry, that you will not tell a soul about this." When he met the headmasters usually sparkling blue eyes, they held hardness and a twinge of menace.

"Not even Hermione?" Harry whined. Dumbledore narrowed his eyes again, but before he could chastise him Harry answered. "You have my word."

With a curt nod the headmaster indicated a large pile of books and scrolls. "Those are for you, they contain information about your heritage and your magical inheritance. You may tell Miss Granger about your Mage Craft ability. No doubt she can help you develop it further. Once class begins you and I will have private lessons in order to help you master and control these powers to the best of your ability."

Harry nodded, not really listening any longer. He heard about the lessons, but nothing really sunk in with him. He felt over-full with information. He had a feeling even Hermione would find it to be too much to handle. He levitated the items in front of him and out the door, carefully guiding them down the stairs and through the corridors.

He had no idea how he was supposed to get any reading done, and study for his classes. He was sure Hermione would assist him, but at what cost to his free time with Draco?

Then there was the idea of lying to the boy who he loved. Could he do that? Well, he had to, he'd given his word to Dumbledore, and something told him that he was a wizard who wouldn't take kindly to having been lied to.

Bits of information swirled around in his mind. Power, new magic, his parents and heritage and the prophecy all competed for first place in Harry's thought process. He immediately thought of a way he could get around breaking his word and at least incorporating Hermione is not Draco. He would just ask Hermione to research the Gilded Soul thing and see what she found out. He could feel a very Malfoy-esk smirk forming on his lips at the devious thoughts, and he thought he could sense Dumbledore frowning in his office.

--


	24. Chapter 23 Relinquishing Control

Author's notes: Thanks to everyone who left me comments. I read and enjoy them all and try to reply to most! I'm just cresting 50K words and I can't believe it. This story was originally supposed to be about 10-15 chapters long, and it has morphed into a giant monster all its own. Thanks to everyone who reads it, your comments and encouragement keep me updating it faster. Heres another chapter for you to chew on.

**This chapter is rated NC-17 for hot boy on boy action. Be warned.**

**Chapter 23 Relinquishing Control**

"Harry, that's fantastic!" Hermione whispered in a loud fashion that didn't resemble whispering at all.

"Mione, would you keep it down? I'm right here." The two Gryffindor's were curled up on an over stuffed sofa, Hermione at one end and Harry sprawled the length of it with his head in her lap. The common room was empty, being that it was well past curfew. Harry had just gotten back from his fifth meeting with Dumbledore, and Hermione had been waiting up for him.

"Sorry," she responded sheepishly. "It's just so exciting. I can't believe you can actually do mage craft. I read about it in third year…"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course you did."

She shot him a mock glare and continued, "But I never thought I would know anyone who could use it."

"Well you do, and not just me. Dumbledore can, and so can Voldemort, however, last night Dumbledore told me that Tom Riddle's powers are manufactured someone, not natural like mine, so with training, I could be more powerful then him."

"How do you manufacture powers like that?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "He thinks he got them from my blood when he used me in the ritual to make him corporeal. He's fairly certain Voldemort didn't have them before that."

"Hmm." Hermione was chewing on her bottom lip as she often did when thinking deeply about something. "So has he taught you any new spells?"

Harry nodded and conjured a small twinkling ball of light in his palm and then let it float around her. He then divided it into many smaller lights and they swarmed around the common room lie twirling faerie lights.

Hermione giggled and held out her hand, the many lights reformed into one and settled in her palm. "It's warm," she whispered in awe.

"You can use it for warmth or light or you can even imbue it with a tracking spell and let it lead you to your destination," he said nodding. "It's quite useful. It's called a sprite light."

"Cute. Anything else?"

Harry shrugged. "Probably nothing that would be ideal for the common room."

Yawning Hermione shoved lightly at Harry, trying to get him to move from her lap. "I should get to bed. It's late."

"Yeah, I should get over to the room of requirement. Draco's probably already asleep by now. Meet you at breakfast?"

Hermione nodded and headed up to her dorm, stopping only briefly when she heard her name.

"Hermione," Harry called, "Thank you… for everything." She just smiled demurely and vanished through the door to the girl's dormitory.

--

Draco was in fact asleep when Harry crept into their makeshift bedroom. He undressed as quietly as possible and slipped under the covers with the warm Slytherin. He had taken to calling him his pale dragon. One; because it seemed to fit him, two; because Draco actually seemed to like the nickname, and three; because it irked Dumbledore.

He had begun thinking he had gotten away with showing up so late when Draco's voice rang sleepily in his ears. "Where have you been?"

Harry ran fingers down his smooth torso to settle him down. "I had another lesson with Dumbledore." He had told Draco about his abilities, just not the prophecy that tied them both together for better or worse. The headmaster had been noticeably agitated by that fact, but Harry had made it clear that he gave his word not to speak to him about the prophecy, not his magical abilities. He felt that if he was allowed to tell Hermione about those, than he should be allowed to tell Draco.

"Another one?" he whined.

"Yes, love. I'll be having them quite often now I think. I don't know when I'm supposed to find time to study, or even do my assignments for that matter."

"Or fuck," Draco whined again.

Harry smiled against his neck and placed a soft kiss just below his ear. "That too. Although since your awake now…"

--

Draco needed no further prompting and turned toward Harry, covering him in warm wet kisses. Harry responded by locking his legs around the blonde and pressing every inch of exposed flesh against him. Their breathing was already ragged. Draco shifted his hips, rubbing their erections together, eliciting a moan from Harry.

Hands and mouths scrambled clumsily over heated flesh and both boys were light headed from the intoxicating feel of it. "I want to come inside you," his pale dragon whispered. There was a nod of accent and Draco gripped the other boy's hips and whipped him around, flattening him against the bed.

He ran the tip of his tongue gracefully over the Gryffindor's back, starting at the nape of his neck and working down to where his spine curved into his arse. Then he proceeded to lick down that hot channel, making Harry squirm against his face. "Do you like that, my pretty little lion?" he whispered against his flesh.

His only response was a guttural moan muffled by the pillow. He watched Harry's body for a moment; the way it rocked toward his mouth, and the way his hands tightly clutched the bed sheets. He smiled to himself and licked another line down that hot channel pausing at Harry's puckered hole and teased it with his tongue. The Gryffindor gasped and groaned and screamed Draco's name when he plunged his tongue into his orifice.

Harry bucked against him as Draco proceeded to fuck him with his tongue, and only stopped when Harry's moans turned into whimpers, begging for more. Draco sat up and pulled the other boy up by the hips so that he was on all fours. Harry ground his backside onto Draco's cock and he let out a hiss at the sensation.

Draco rubbed the tip of his cock against Harry's tight opening and teased it there a moment, keeping the other boy from rocking back into it. He loved it when Harry wanted him, really wanted him, writhing and begging.

"Please," Harry whimpered softly, and Draco plunged into him. The force of it made him cry out and his sobs of pleasure mixed with Harry's. He then snaked a hand around to the Gryffindor's throbbing erection, rubbing the slick head with his fingertips and smearing the sticky fluid down the shaft. Draco pumped into him, creating a steady rhythm with his hips and his hand. He was close, and when Harry's orgasm hit arching his back and taking Draco deeper and clenching around him, it sent Draco over the edge. With one final thrust he emptied himself inside the Gryffindor, biting into his back and screaming his name.

They stayed like this for several moments, both too tired to move, but then Harry collapsed and took Draco down with him. He pulled himself from Harry's warm crevice and wrapped himself around the panting and sweaty Gryffindor.

A slight movement of Harry's fingers and they were fresh and clean and covered by the bedspread. "You'll have to teach me that one day," Draco muttered, knowing it could never happen. He wasn't sure how he felt know that he and Harry weren't on level playing ground when it came to their magic. Harry never tried to rub it in or anything, but just little things like what he had just done, only served as reminders of how much more powerful he was than Draco.

He felt Harry smile against his cheek and leaned into him. "If I taught you, why would you stay with me?" Harry asked, hopefully joking.

He waited until he heard the soft even breathing, indicating that Harry was asleep before he answered. "Because I love you."

--


	25. Chapter 24 Backlash

**I was inspired by ****EmmyAngeldust's review and decided to post Chapter 24 early. :)**

**I have passed the 50,000 word mark with this chapter. It was my original goal for this story, and it looks like I'm going to have to come up with a new one, because this tale is far from finished. **

**Thanks profusely for all the comments. More please! ******

**And now, I give you an entire chapter full of Draco introspection and a little bet of angry Dumbledore. I'm not sure when Dumbledore turned cranky in my head, but I assure you there is just cause for his moodiness.**

**Chapter 24 Backlash**

The weather outside matched Draco's mood, all somber grays and stormy snow clouds. It had been a hellish few weeks with all the students' back and classes resuming their normal fluster. It was all made worse by the fact that he rarely saw Harry lately. If he didn't know better he would say the illusive Gryffindor was avoiding him, but he knew that it was mostly only because his boyfriend was so busy.

Boyfriend.

Is that what Harry was? It made sense in a way that Draco wasn't sure he was ready to admit. What else would you call a person who you not only slept with every night, but also couldn't stop thinking about when you were awake? Someone who told you they loved you and did everything within their power to protect you. It must be the correct term, even if Draco was loath to admit it. He had a boyfriend, and his boyfriend was Harry Bloody Potter.

He nearly smacked himself in the forehead for getting into a mess like that. What had happened to merely wanting to make friends with Potter? Even more, what happened to being Potters arch nemesis? That blasted morning Harry saved him from the lake changed everything between them. It was like their carefully constructed dynamic crumbled to tiny pieces that day.

Now they were constantly under scrutiny as rumors flew like owls in the corridors and common rooms about their relationship, a few of them even true. As expected when his housemates weren't shunning him, they were plying him with scathing remarks. They began calling him things like, 'Draco Potter' and 'Slythendor', which were at least more creative than 'blood traitor'. He had even discovered several sets of his uniforms and robes to be transfigured into red and gold instead of his usual Slytherin green and silver. As a couple they were often called 'Drarry' or 'Palfoy'.

Harry had not escaped the ridicule either. Aside from Hermione and Ginny, all of his housemates refused to speak to him and often slagged him off behind his back at every opportunity. Draco had managed to score a detention with McGonagall when he overheard Finnigan badmouthing Harry to Lavender Brown behind one of the Herbology greenhouses and hexed him into oblivion.

Professor McGonagall had been unusually nice to Draco that evening in detention. He had always suspected she had a soft spot for Harry, but he never imagined that he would inherit her unusual kindness by merely defending the Gryffindor's honor. She did however; make it clear that hexing was not an appropriate response no matter how slanderous the remarks about Harry were. She had put on her best stern McGonagall face for that particular lecture. Funny enough Hermione had a matching look when she gave him the same lecture earlier that day.

The Gryffindor student's animosity toward Draco he could understand, but he couldn't fathom how the vile turncoats could be so awful to someone like Harry. Someone who had dedicated his short life to protecting their very lives, and who lost everything he ever loved in the process. People he had called friends were now slandering him, and Harry was still willing to give his life to kill Voldemort and rid the evil from their lives. The person they called a poof would one day make all their lives better.

It angered Draco to no end. Harry however seemed unfazed. He had explained that every year something like this happened. In first year it was the gossip about him being the Boy Who Lived and it had been the first time anyone had seen the boy who embodied the legend they had all grown up with. He said it had been a mixture of awe and disappointment that had greeted him that year, with one student even commenting that they thought he would be taller.

In second year he recounted how everyone was terrified that he was the Heir of Slytherin, made even worse by the parselmouth incident. Third year had him in the center of controversy with the whole dementors and Sirius Black ordeal, which Harry still didn't like talking about with Draco. Then there was the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which everyone thought he cheated, and then when Diggory turned up dead, it all went south.

Draco had never known how cruel Umbridge had been to him the previous year. Harry had shown him the scars on the back of his hand where the DADA professor had made him do lines. He also had no idea that Centaurs had captured her and took her Merlin knew where. In fact, Harry was full of harrowing tales of daring deeds, that Draco had only heard scarce rumors about, if anything at all. Getting to hear about them in detail directly from Harry Potter himself was something of a childhood fantasy.

He sometimes felt like he was a small boy, listening as his mother regaled the tale of the Boy Who Lived. She had always considered it a bit of a heroic tale, for she had lived in fear of the Dark Lord's failing sanity, and she always told it to Draco at bedtime in hushed tones, for if his father suspected she was filling their sons head with Gryffindor propaganda, he would punish them both. She always told Draco that she would have done the same as Lily, and would have protected Draco even with her own life if needed.

Now that he was older he knew that things were more complicated and dangerous than any fairytale. Now Harry was suffering another year of torment from his peers, but this time it had to do with him. This time the tale pulled Draco inside of it, making him a central character, and it was one thing to hear stories about these things years later, and quite another to be living smack dab in the middle of one.

Harry wouldn't say much about the maze, but Draco knew it was important. He was also aware that Harry knew much more about it than he let on. Every time he prodded the Gryffindor for more information though, he was met with shrugs and indifference. The looks of guilt that flickered through his boyfriend's expressive eyes didn't escape him, however.

--

Because they rarely saw one another these days, Harry and Draco were reduced to talking and flirting in their shared classes. They had managed to secure seats side by side in every course, made easier by the fact that no one else wanted to sit with either of them.

McGonagall was happy to let them partner up, as she was always happy to see separate houses collaborating and thought it should be done much more often. They had been working in Divination together since the day of the tarot card reading, and Trelawney didn't seem to notice anything was even different about their seating arrangements. Sometimes Draco even got the impression that she thought Weasley had just changed his hair color.

Normally working together in potions would have posed a problem, as Snape rarely cared what his student's preferences were, and if he knew about them, did everything he could to thwart them. However Harry and Draco still had a joint potion project to work on, so the Slytherin Head of House couldn't reasonably separate them. Not that he was above being unreasonable.

Harry and Draco's blatant flirtations earned them stern glares from Professor Snape, and twice points were taken from not only Gryffindor, but Slytherin as well. This made Draco even less popular with his housemates, but he rarely gave it a second thought.

--

One of the worst parts about being the Hogwarts outcasts was where Quidditch was involved. Draco was relishing the chance to beat his boyfriend to the snitch in the upcoming Gryffindor – Slytherin game, but when the eagerly anticipated game was delayed, both seekers took the brunt of the ill placed blame from their own team. The actual cause, moving the game from its previous place in late January to its new slot in early March, was actually the due to the poor weather. It was so frigid outside, that not even advanced heating spells kept the players warm enough for a decent practice.

It was probably for the best however, for the one practice they did manage to have ended rather awkwardly in the boys changing rooms. Draco caught the furtive and suspicious looks from his fellow students, who were apparently waiting for him to change and leave before any of them would get undressed.

Draco shook his head, grabbed his bag, and still clad in his Quidditch gear he left the changing room, shouting, "Your cocks are safe now, boys," as he strode confidently back onto the pitch.

"Bloody Slytherin prats," he mumbled to himself as, despite the chill, he once again took to the air on his broom. He wondered how often Harry had thought that very same thing about him and his friends. Probably fairly often, he decided.

The frigid wind made his cheeks and nose burn almost immediately, but the feel of being in the air was always exhilarating and made up for the fact that his face was soon completely numb. He did a few laps around the pitch then flew toward the castle. From his high perch he could see the shadows of Harry and Dumbledore up in the lofty tower office.

He flew closer and noticed the window was cracked open slightly, so he decided to take a peek. Harry was standing adjacent to the open window, glaring across the room at the headmaster. He had never seen his boyfriend look at the elderly wizard with such belligerent contempt, and was curious as to what had caused it.

"I don't want to hear another word about it, Harry. Is that understood?" He heard the headmaster shout. He watched as Harry huffed and turned his back on the old man, who in turn moved over to stand directly behind the Gryffindor, a hand placed gently on his shoulder. "You must understand the severity of this. If Draco knew, it could send everything out of balance. Just imagine what would happen if Voldemort got his hands on the Gilded Soul. Just imagine the destruction it would do to all wizarding kind."

Harry scoffed at that. "Why should I even care about them? They all hate me and spread lies and filth. Maybe they deserve what they get," he spat.

Dumbledore removed his hand quickly as if physically burned by the anger emanating from the boy. "You don't mean that, Harry," he whispered sadly.

Draco could barely make out what Harry said next, but he thought it sounded like, 'maybe I do'. Whatever he said, it sent Dumbledore into another fury. "You see?" he shouted, "He's already influencing you, bringing the darkness we are all capable of to the surface."

Harry looked stricken, and he turned the full force of his anger around on the headmaster. Draco could no longer see his face, but Harry's power poured through the room like a palpable presence, seeping out the open window and almost knocking Draco from his broom. It was the first time he had ever felt anything so powerful in his whole life, and thought of it all coming off of his Harry made him shiver.

"I am not a child!" Harry screamed, each word punctuated with flares of heat. "Do you really think I am so easily influenced, that I can't make the decision of who to trust on my own?" He watched the color drain from the headmasters face as Harry continued. "Your as bad as he was at eleven years old, telling me who I should and should not be friends with. Well I'm sick of being everyone's puppet!"

The power that lashed out from those words sliced through the air like invisible blades. The headmaster staggered briefly before meeting the power flare with one of his own. Though not as powerful as Harry's, the headmaster focused his wave of heat directly at the Gryffindor, instead of letting it seep through the entire room, and it brought Harry to his knees.

When the headmaster finally spoke again it held both a soothing quality and a menacing authority that Draco had never before associated with the elderly wizard. Draco wondered if Harry had always had such vastly different experiences with his professors than Draco did. "I will not have another Voldemort created within these walls. Do you hear me, Harry?" The boy nodded. "Good. You will not bring up Mr Malfoy again in these lessons and if I see that he has further influenced your dark thoughts then I shall end the lessons all together. Do you understand?" Harry nodded again. "Then you may go."

The door to the office flew open seemingly of its own accord and Harry strode through it quickly and without another word.

Draco was just about to fly down and meet his Gryffindor inside the castle when he heard Dumbledore speaking in hushed tones with the portraits in his office. "Mr Potter makes a good point, Albus." Draco heard one of the elderly women say. "The Malfoy boy is putting himself in terrible danger each night and has no idea why," she continued.

Dumbledore's gruff voice drifted to the open window. "And what do you think, Dilys, would happen if he knew? If he knew that there might be a way to keep himself and his mother safe? If he survives the third trial I'll tell him. If he survives the third trial he can be trusted."

"What I'm more concerned with right now is Harry. Did you feel his power tonight? At only sixteen he is more powerful then even myself. And his mind, Dilys, I looked into his mind and it was so dark and more twisted than I have ever seen it. I'm afraid, Dilys, I'm afraid for all of us."

Draco tried to hear more, but they either stopped talking, or were speaking so softly that he could no longer hear. He made his way back to the ground, landing less than gracefully than usual. His whole body seemed frozen solid.

In contrast his mind was running like a locomotive. There was some secret about him that Harry knew, and had known for some time it seemed, something that could protect his mother. He never cared much for secrets, let alone dangerous ones involving him. He wondered how long Harry had been keeping him in the dark and suddenly realized the source of that guilty spark he sometimes saw in his boyfriend's eyes.

Boyfriend. Ha.

If Harry was going to be keeping things from him maybe he wasn't worth all the trouble Draco was going through with his housemates… and everyone else at the school for that matter.

Then there was the feeling of Harry's magic pulsing over him like a raging inferno. It was both seductive and frightening. Even Dumbledore was afraid of him, afraid of his Harry.

--

It was late before Draco made his way into the room he shared with Harry. He wasn't sure how they got away with it, but he supposed it helped when both their heads of house seemed to turn a blind eye. As he stepped through the threshold he heard Harry mutter 'mischief managed' and saw him tuck away a yellowed parchment. Another secret.

He walked over and sat in the armchair across from Harry. "What was that?"

Harry looked up with a forced a grin. "Just something the Weasley twins gave me back in third year."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Fine, don't tell me. Then maybe you can tell me what the Gilded Soul is?"

_--_


	26. Chapter 25 Prophetic Danger

Chapter 25 Prophetic Danger

Author's note: Thanks again to everyone who commented on the story so far. I hope you find this next chapter equally entertaining!

Previously on Gilded Soul:

It was late before Draco made his way into the room he shared with Harry. He wasn't sure how they got away with it, but he supposed it helped when both their heads of house seemed to turn a blind eye. As he stepped through the threshold he heard Harry mutter 'mischief managed' and saw him tuck away a yellowed parchment, another secret he assumed.

He walked over and sat in the armchair across from Harry. "What was that?"

Harry looked up and forced a grin. "Just something the Weasley twins gave me back in third year."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Fine, don't tell me. Then maybe you can tell me what the Gilded Soul is."

**Chapter 25 Prophetic Danger**

Harry's mouth fell open. "How did you…"

Draco sneered. "You think you're the only person privy to important information?"

"No, but… you aren't supposed to… I mean…" He was babbling and couldn't stop. How had Draco found out? Would Dumbledore assume that Harry had told him? Maybe the old man had changed his mind and called Draco in after he left. Though that was doubtful given his last meeting with the headmaster.

He was having an excruciatingly bad day. It started at breakfast when Hermione told him about Draco getting detention with McGonagall and why. He hadn't even known and had been in a lesson with Dumbledore that night. Draco hadn't mentioned it, which now made him feel like a bigger idiot that he had to find out from Hermione.

Finnigan had always been a loudmouth, but he expected a little more couth from someone he spent the last five plus years sharing a room with. He had mixed feelings about what Draco had done. Part of him was embarrassed that the Slytherin came to his rescue, the other part felt loved and protected. He mostly just hoped it was a good hex since he managed to get a detention for it.

He also wondered why Draco hadn't told him. Was he embarrassed too? He knew the Slytherin was taking a lot of slack for their relationship, and he wondered if he was getting sick of it, sick of Harry.

The day progressed poorly as Snape belittled him all through class. He tried to think of what Dumbledore had told him previously, about Snape and his mum, and practiced biting his tongue. He had managed to hold back his scathing backtalk for most of the class, but then right before class got out the potions master mentioned something about Harry being rude and arrogant just like his father, and he snapped.

He actually called his professor a snively little coward. He was promptly given a detention told to leave immediately. He missed the end of class, thus missing their assignment, so he was sure to get an additional detention when he didn't have anything to turn in. He had hoped Hermione or Draco would help, but it had been pressed upon them that no one was to tell him, on pain of death… or at least dismemberment.

At lunch he overhead all of his classmates whispering about him and it began to infuriate him to the point of walking out. He ate his lunch in the prefect's bathroom, where he continued to be harassed by moaning Myrtle, who had also heard rumor of his scandalous relationship with Malfoy.

He was once again the laughing stock of the school, and despite telling Draco otherwise, he hated it. His destiny was to save the very same people who mocked him. It didn't seem right and it didn't seem fair. Every night since students returned and began making fun of him and spreading rumors, he had dreamed of giving them over to Voldemort. He dreamed that the Ministry contacted him, and it was time to go to war and he just said 'no'. Once he dreamed that he made it into a big public speech as to why he was going to go into hiding and let Voldemort have them all. Then once he even dreamed of joining Voldemort and wreaking his own brand of vengeance upon the school.

He knew it was wrong, and deep down he knew that he would never do such a thing, but the allure of it kept him relatively sane during class when he spied people whispering about him, or in the corridors when he accidentally bumped into someone and they looked up mortified that they had 'touched Harry Potter'.

Then there was Draco, his sweet beautiful Draco. He had wanted to talk about the maze no less then three times that day, and every time he had to play dumb and act as if he didn't know any more than Draco did. He hated lying to his Slytherin. It was eating away at him, slowly but surely, which is what led to the confrontation with Dumbledore.

He was practicing a heating charm when he saw the Slytherin Quidditch team practicing out on the pitch. He began thinking about Draco, and how he wanted to tell him the truth about the prophecy and everything else and finally got up the nerve to ask the Headmaster's permission.

He hadn't anticipated the elderly man to get so furious, but the response was harsh and immediate. He lashed out at Harry with his power, and that was unsettling by itself, but the fearful manner the headmaster spoke to him was even more so.

He had spent so long respecting the man and believing everything he said as truth. Even when year after year more information surfaced about himself that Dumbledore could have told him in the beginning. But he was the one who couldn't be trusted? He was the one who couldn't make decisions on his own? He was the one who was forced to be a pawn in the older mans schemes?

Harry had decided right then that he had enough of it. Enough being lied to and told half-truths, enough games, enough dangerous pointless missions. In a few months he would be an adult, and it was damn well time people started treating him as such.

His power pushed from inside him like an oven and all he could remember was flexing his fingertips and envisioning it leaving his body and it did. It flared across the room, singing the edges of scrolls on the headmaster's desk and causing Fawkes to squawk. He felt it ruffle the fabric in the room and even felt the headmaster flinch and stumble. He pulled it wanted to pull it back, but it felt good to be in control, to have even the greatest wizard in the world twitch from his power, raw and unrefined.

It wasn't until he was hit with a flare of magic from Dumbledore that he realized what he had done, and the old man's words cut through to the heart of him. He didn't want to be another Voldemort. He didn't want people to worship him or fear him. He just wanted to have Draco, and his few friends and to be left alone.

So in the end he left the office without a word, for fear of what he would say. If he wanted to live in denial, he could tell himself it was the Dark Lord controlling his mind, but Harry knew better. He knew it was all him, all his very own brand of darkness bubbling up to the surface.

Just like Dumbledore said.

--

Draco remembered the times when a stammering Harry Potter would have brought him great joy. Those times were past however, and this one only made him sad and slightly angry. He had decided on his long walk around the castle, that Harry didn't deserve most of the blame. It was obvious that the Gryffindor wanted to tell him the truth, but he was being coerced into keeping it a secret from Draco. He realized he was mostly upset because he felt betrayed, as if the bond with the Headmaster was greater than the bond they had together. Though even that could be held in suspicion based on what he had seen earlier that night.

He held up his hand to stop the Gryffindor's distress. "I overheard you and Professor Dumbledore," he said simply.

Harry seemed to both sag with relief and go rigid with a new tension simultaneously. "What did you over hear?"

"Enough."

Harry sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm going to get blamed for this I'm sure… wait… how did you over hear? Dumbledore has an imperturbable charm on the door."

Draco smiled slyly. "I was hovering outside the window."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Seriously Draco, you could have been found out, or you could have frozen to death for that matter. It was utterly freezing out."

Draco cocked an eyebrow, carefully watching Harry's face as he said the next. "Your magic warmed me up a bit."

Harry paled and looked sheepish at best. "You felt that huh?" Draco nodded. "It was a mistake… sort of."

"Well, if that was a mistake, remind me to stay away when you're trying to do something."

Harry sighed heavily, and began pacing the room. "You're afraid of me aren't you? Just like Dumbledore."

He sat still a moment. Truthfully he was somewhat afraid of the Gryffindor, but not the way Dumbledore was. The headmaster was afraid of Harry using that power for evil. Draco knew that Harry would never do that. He was worried about Harry's power consuming him, and making him forget about Draco.

He explained as much and was rewarded with a kiss. "As long as you want me, I'm yours Draco Malfoy."

Draco grinned; he couldn't help it, all the previous animosity toward the boy in front of him forgotten. He kissed his Gryffindor and let him wipe away all the bad from those last few weeks. He melted against him and lost his reasoning for a moment.

With gasping breaths they parted and the cause for this conversation came rushing back to him. "Harry, what have you been keeping from me?"

Harry looked defeated. "How much time do you have?"

--

Harry spent the night breaking his promise to Dumbledore. He told Draco everything, from his heritage to the finer details of his magic and ended with the prophecy that involved them both. Draco listed with rapt attention as Harry recited the prophecy from memory.

"So that's why you've been calling me your pale dragon?" Harry nodded. "Here I thought you were being clever."

He smiled. "I thought it was very fitting."

"So what did Dumbledore say about the end bit, about you falling?"

Harry shrugged. "He said it was probably vague on purpose and could mean anything from me choosing to die so that you could live or something else altogether."

Draco blanched and looked at his Gryffindor incredulously. "You would never do that, right?" It was more of a demand than a question.

Harry gave him a small crooked smile. "I don't know if you've heard, but I have a bit of a hero complex."

"Okay, let me rephrase that, under no circumstances are you to ever, and I mean ever, give your life in exchange for mine." Draco just sighed at the smile on his Gryffindor's face spread wider. "I've grown a little attached to you," he mumbled, pulling Harry into his lap, "and things without you wouldn't be quite the same."

Harry practically beamed at Draco's words and rewarded him with another kiss. This kiss was less urgent than usual, just a soft almost chaste press of the lips that slowly grew into something more, making his insides turn into melted goo.

--

They fell into an easy routine through the winter, spending as much time together as they could, which only equated to a couple waking hours of the day aside from classes. Gossip had died away hesitantly as the two were now constant companions and it became less and less 'news worthy' as time progressed. In fact, it started a bit of a fad with boys and girls alike announcing they were gay. In most cases it usually only lasted a few weeks at best and then it would go back to normal.

Harry and Draco were quite amused by that particular reaction, however they continued to stay clear of the entire student body with few exceptions. They both still spoke to Hermione on a daily basis. She helped them with research and new ideas, and Harry was also still cordial with Neville, who was the only Gryffindor not to prosecute him back in January.

Draco however, was feeling more isolated than ever before. His only companion was Harry, and he was obviously trying to spend time with the Slytherin, he seemed to be getting more and more distant as his lessons with the Headmaster progressed. He never even got letters, scathing or otherwise, from his mother any longer. He didn't know what exactly to think of it, and only hoped that she was still safe, and all that kept her from writing was her anger.

Either way, Draco found himself quite lonely. It was this fact that had him now slinking down to the dungeons in search of Professor Snape. Harry was in his nightly lesson with Dumbledore, and Draco was more caught up with his assignments than ever before. He needed someone to talk to, but needed that person to be more loyal to him than to Harry, so Hermione was out. He knew that even though he now found and easy camaraderie with the Gryffindor girl, she would never keep secrets from Harry, and would most likely blab everything he said to her the very first chance she got.

They seemed to be no closer to the third task than they were back at Christmas, and it was now mid- February. It was almost as if the maze were rearranging itself to keep them away from it.

Thinking about the maze only made him think about the prophecy, and that merely depressed him. He was acutely aware of how hypocritical he had been to dismiss Harry's worries over his own prophecy. It wasn't a nice feeling to know that fate had a mapped out plan for a section of your life, and that no matter what, a certain series of events would fall into place to make the prophecy accurate. He often wondered if he had already begun following the path and putting those events into place.

He supposed that the traitorous union it spoke of was already made. He thought back to the tarot card reading Harry had done for him ages ago, the outcome was very clear in his head and it made the prophecy seem worse. The reading clearly said he and Harry wouldn't work out together. Would he do something to betray the Gryffindor, maybe even something inadvertent? Was it like Dumbledore's speculation that Harry would die in the end to spare Draco? He knew he would never be able accept that after everything they have been through.

He found Snape's private office, which was typically impossible to find by anyone by a Slytherin student, and knocked softly on the door. Part of him dreaded being here; no longer feel a kinship to his Head of House since he started the relationship with Harry. The Gryffindor loathed the Potions Master, and made no attempt to hide that fact.

A booming voice echoed from inside telling him to 'come in' and as such the door unlatched of its own accord. Draco peered inside, having never been in the Potion Masters quarters before. It was surprisingly different from what he had expected. He assumed it would mimic the Slytherin common room, but this was vastly different.

Snape was seated at a large cherry wood desk, which was rich and ornate and based on the shield crests carved into the sides it was obviously a family heirloom. The walls all held detailed tapestries of family and his ancestral home, all in vivid colors not suiting the sallow professor, so that most of the stone wall was covered from sight. The far corner held a vast fireplace, which made the normally dank underground space quite cozy. Flanking both sides of the fireplace were several large over stuffed bookcases, each carrying massive ancient tomes. A deep purple velvet settee and pair of armchairs sat in front of the fireplace. Behind the Professor's desk was a set of doors, which Draco assumed led into his bedchamber.

The Potions Master didn't look up as Draco absorbed his surroundings, feeling immediately more comfortable than he had on his way down here. When Snape finally did look up he quickly wiped the shock at seeing Draco there. "What brings you here tonight, Draco?"

"I needed to speak to someone about some things that have been troubling me." Draco replied simply.

Severus raised a pointed black eyebrow and let out a resigned sigh. "I had wondered when you would come to me about this." He gestured to the sofa and Draco walked over and took a seat, flowed by Snape, who sat in the adjacent armchair. "Very well, let's get this over with, shall we?"

Draco felt momentarily confused, but asked what he came down here to. " Professor, how much do you know about prophesies?"

"Prophesies?" Draco nodded. "Surely I'm no expert, but I have studied my fair share… why do you ask?" He looked Draco over curiously, and smiled slightly as the boy squirmed under his gaze.

Draco took a folded and worn scrap of paper from his robe pocket and handed it to the professor. He had been carrying it around with him, opening it and rereading the prophecy, written in neat handwriting, over and over again over the past few weeks.

Snape didn't remove his gaze as he unfolded the sheaf of paper until he exposed the scrolling writing there. He read it once through quickly and then again more slowly and then returned his gaze to the Slytherin. "You think this is about you?" Draco nodded. "Why do you think that?"

"Dumbledore told me… inadvertently." Draco didn't know how much he could tell the professor and hoped he would be able to get his opinion without over sharing.

"I see." Snape tapped his wand gently against his temple. "If you have Dumbledore working on this, why do you need my assistance?"

Draco shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable. Would Snape tell Dumbledore? "Dumbledore doesn't know that I know about it. Harry told me."

Snape made a sound that was half a laugh and half a grunt. "The old coot is still keeping things close to his chest, I see." He reread the scrap of paper. "I've heard this one before. I suppose that you have deduced Harry to be the lion? It only seems to be the most obvious choice." Draco nodded. "And do you know that the Gilded Soul is?" At this question he watched the blonde very closely.

Draco attempted no to falter in his next words. "It's the reward in the center of the maze."

Snape lifted a greasy eyebrow at that. "Indeed. How do you know about the maze? Did Harry tell you about it as well?" He was scowling slightly. He didn't know what business the maze was to mere children.

"Not exactly."

"It's good to see that all of Potters tendencies didn't rub off on you. At least you're still capable of keeping some secrets."

Draco laughed. "I think Harry keeps more secrets than I ever have in my life. He's privy to much more important information than I am," he sulked.

"You sound bitter. Do you want to find yourself in some escapade where death is your only ticket out?"

"Merlin, no," Draco shouted defensively. "In fact, quite the opposite. I want to make certain this prophecy doesn't come true. In any way I can."

Snape looked at Draco appraisingly. "My suggestion then, is to leave Potter alone. It is quite obvious to me, that it plainly calls for his death at your fault… if not your hands."

Draco gasped, "I would never hurt Harry."

"No? Do you really feel so confident?" Draco nodded stubbornly. "I am going to tell you something, Draco, and I am going to insist that it NEVER leave this room." Draco looked confused but nodded.

"I was once irrefutably in love with Potter's mother, Lily. Her family promised her to me the as soon as they found out she was a witch, and I was smitten." Draco tried to act surprised, even though he had heard this bit of information from Harry. "She was smart and beautiful, funny and kind, but she chose James in the end, breaking off our betrothal. She wanted to remain friends with me, but I was furious. The summer after school ended, the Potters were married, and that day I joined the Dark Lord. He prayed upon my grief and I became his loyal subject. I overheard a prophecy, told directly to Dumbledore by that old bat Trelawney." He paused then, as if remembering everything, and shuddered. "It was the prophecy about Harry, I suspect he's told you of it by now?" Draco nodded.

"Well, at the time of course, I had no idea it involved Harry, who wasn't even yet born, let alone my Lily." Draco's eyes went wide as he guessed where the story was leading. "I dutifully reported it back to the Dark Lord, who took it very seriously." It wasn't very long before Lily gave birth to Harry and Voldemort decided that it was he who would fulfill the prophecy."

Snape sighed and looked wistfully at a row of portraits over his mantle. Draco looked over to see that one of them held a young Severus and Lily, hand in hand by the lake at Hogwarts. They must have been about his age. Lily's green eyes sparkled and winked at him, reminding him achingly of Harry.

"I tried to warn Lily, but I couldn't find her, they had put the Fidelus charm on their home, and I didn't know who the secret keeper was, though I assumed it was Black and that information was equally unusable. I knew he would never believe me, so I went to Dumbledore. I pledged myself to his service if he would only tell Lily about the impending attack."

Draco found he was still staring at the portrait of Harry's mother and when he looked back he found a distraught looking Snape with his head in his hands, looking near tears. "He was too late of course. By the time Albus arrived, the Dark Mark hovered over the house and James and Lily were dead. I'm sure you know what happened from there." Draco nodded silently.

"You see, even though I didn't mean to, I hurt the person I loved most in the world. Are you still so certain that you couldn't do the same to Harry?"

_--_

_Author's note: I actually have through chapter 29 finished, but I am holding them hostage for more reviews. I know it's mean. Just call me a Slytherin._


	27. Chapter 26 Self Sacrifice

Author's note: This is a short chapter, but full of Draco being a moron, as he's prone to do in my story. I'm posting it early for those of you who commented on the previous chapter last night - you know who you are. I might even be nice enough to post twice today. We'll see if my Slytherin tendencies flare up again...

**Chapter 26 Self Sacrifice**

Draco left Snape's quarters feeling heavy and somber. He wanted Harry with every fiber of his being, but even more than he wanted him, he wanted him to be safe. If they could only live through the ordeal with Voldemort, a part of Draco knew that he and Harry would be together. But the question that plagued him now, was how far could he push Harry away, so that he could one day make it up to him, and that they would still be together.

He had already made up his mind to heed Snape's advice and remove himself from Harry's circle of friends. It was the most difficult decision he had ever made, but it was for Harry's own benefit. He decided at once that he found self-sacrifice to be distasteful. He quite enjoyed getting his way all the time, and he knew there would only be one way to complete the task at hand, and that was to make Harry hate him.

He knew it would only be temporary but the feeling he got in the pit of his stomach, at the idea of Harry hating him for any amount of time, made him want to wretch. He could live… would have to live with it though, because it was more important to keep Harry safe, and as long as he was the pale dragon, and Harry his lion, the Gryffindor was not safe.

--

Harry was eager to get back to the Room of Requirement and tell Draco of the new development in his magic. It had been a brilliant lesson, in fact the best since his outburst several weeks previous. Dumbledore had seemed on edge ever since then, the sparkle gone from his blue eyes. Harry knew it had been his fault, and that he would have to work harder to earn the older mans trust again.

Earlier that night he discovered his ability to control the magic within him, and do as Dumbledore had done weeks ago and focus it on a given target, instead of letting it leak out of him like a sieve, infecting the environment all around him.

He had a sinking feeling as he made his way to the Room of Requirement, and as soon as he opened the door, he realized why.

Draco wasn't there.

Harry sat in the armchair by the fireplace. There hadn't been a fire lit there since that morning. A flick of his fingers and a warm blaze burst into existence in space where only ashes were before. He didn't know how long he had waited for Draco to arrive, but Harry dozed in the chair, and was woken up when the fire began to dim.

He stretched, looking around, and still didn't spot the Slytherin in their room, so he climbed ruefully into bed alone. He quickly ran through the events of the day while he tried to fall back to sleep, when the date popped unwillingly into his head. He rolled over to face the place where Draco usually slept and wondered if the Slytherin was upset with him. He ran his palm over the space that usually held his lover and sighed. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow," he whispered to the dark. "Happy Valentines day, Draco."

--

Harry didn't dream of mazes that night, because Draco was purposefully staying awake. He wasn't ready for a confrontation just yet, and he knew it would be better to have that in person rather than in the maze, where they often fought for their lives.

He was in his own dorm once again and it felt foreign. His housemates had been curious to see him there, since it hadn't happened since prior to the Holiday. Draco rarely needed to visit the Slytherin common room because he had everything he needed in the Room of Requirement. Harry, his Gryffindor, was all that he needed. He chastised himself for the thought. Those were not the type of thoughts that would keep his resolve up, or would keep Harry safe.

He sat perched in a large armchair in the, now empty, common room struggling to think about all the things he loathed about Harry, and was angry to admit that the list was much shorter; practically non-existent, compared to just this time last year. He sighed as he thought about Harry's hero complex. "Always saving people. Bloody Gryffindor," he whispered to himself. Then he recalled being on the receiving end of that issue several times before, so it was difficult to fault him for it.

"His hair," Draco whispered triumphantly. "It's always so messy and unkempt…but so soft, and the way he leans into my hand when I run my fingers through it…" Draco cursed aloud. "This isn't working," he muttered after having blown through a list of everything from his infuriatingly beautiful eyes to his poor but improving talents in potions class.

He reluctantly gave up and settled down to read his transfiguration textbook. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day, and he needed his energy, but maybe by denying himself sleep he would not only keep the dreams away, but also keep himself in a foul enough mood that he would be able to stay nasty to Harry. No, not Harry. Potter.

--

Harry got lethargically up from bed as the events, or lack thereof, from the previous even crashed into the forefront of his mind. Draco had never come to their room. A brief glimpse of panic ensued as he wondered if the Slytherin was okay, or if maybe Snape had finally had enough and made Draco stay in his dorm. It wasn't until he made his way groggily into the bathroom, that he noticed all of Draco's things were missing. The intentions of this were quite plain; Draco wasn't coming back. Harry couldn't breath for a moment, but then finally regained his composure and finished getting ready.

As he slowly made his way down to the Great Hall, his eyes peeled for Draco the entire way, he stopped suddenly when he saw him. He nearly collapsed.

Walking several paces ahead of him was his pale dragon, only not his anymore it seemed. His pale arm was linked haphazardly through Pansy Parkinson's as he leaned into her, whispering things that would cause her to giggle like mad.

Harry stopped so suddenly that a couple of second years, trailing too closely, smashed into him with a force enough to topple the two younger students and to shake Harry where he stood. After a few moments he found his voice and went storming up to the blonde, jerking him viciously by his fee arm, making Pansy lose he balance and wobble in place. "What's the meaning of this?" Harry shouted, loud enough that anyone not already in the all could hear.

Draco sneered. "Oh, don't go getting all possessive on me now, Potter."

Harry paled. "What?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Look, I thought you understood, this wasn't an exclusive thing," he drawled, gesturing between the two boys. "It was fun, but you've gotten too clingy."

His magic began leaking out from his fingertips and he thought he saw Draco flinch, but Harry managed to get control of it in time not to make a presentation of his newly developed abilities for all the school to see. When Harry didn't speak again, Draco seemed to take it as a dismissal and he pulled Pansy along into the Great Hall.

Harry took several deep breaths and turned around, running in the opposite direction. Once outside by the still frozen lake, Harry let loose his anguish in a tidal wave of blazing heat. It licked across the face of the lake turning it's previously glittering white surface into a bubbling boil.

One of the merpeople came screeching to the surface, yelling at him in a deafening language he couldn't understand without being underwater, and he balled his fists at once, effectively cutting off the torrent of power. The glass green tail whipped out of sight as Hermione came bounding up behind Harry. He felt the cold of her hand press against his heated flesh and he collapsed into the now burnt grass at his feet.

"Did he tell you?" There was no need to say what he was referring to.

"No, I saw. I heard the commotion as I was coming downstairs. You ran right past me when you came here."

"Sorry," he said, but it didn't sound as if he meant it. "I didn't want to lose control in there."

He felt the press of her forehead against his upper back, nodding her understanding. "I don't think I realized quite what you were talking about with your extra abilities until now. You did that without a wand huh?"

Harry nodded. "I don't ever need it anymore. It's just for show now really."

Hermione sighed against him. "You're a very special boy, Harry Potter."

Harry laughed and it was a harsh thing, making Hermione wince. "You're going to be late for class," he said, changing the subject.

"So are you."

"I'm not going to class today." He could tell she was about to argue, not much was worse to Hermione than skipping classes, but he just kept staring over the now unfrozen lake.

"Harry, Snape is going to give you detention." Harry only shrugged. He was sure she would continue to argue, but after a few moments he felt her move away from him, and heard her crunching footsteps in the snow behind him.

--

Author's Note: As always, please review! We don't want another hostage situation on our hands lol.


	28. Chapter 27 Penence

author's note: A longer chapter for you here, and I'm sorry, but this one fairs no better for our poor Draco. Just remeber, it always darkest before the dawn. Thanks again go everyone reading this story and for all the reviews. It brightens my day.

**Chapter 27 Penance**

Draco hadn't seen Harry in any of their classes and a quick look in Hermione's direction confirmed that she knew what had happened between them that morning. Her glare was like piercing blades, but luckily she didn't deem him worthy to look at too often. He was struck by how unexpected the loss of Hermione effected him. He had always thought that he merely tolerated her, and vise versa, to make things easier for Harry, but he now saw he had counted the Know-It-All as a true friend. 'Another one bites the dust' he mumbled to himself.

When Snape came over and asked him where Harry was, Draco merely shrugged and Snape turned away with a knowing sneer. "If anyone sees Mr Potter today, please inform him he has detention with me tonight."

The morning classes drug onward at a snails pace and finally it was time for lunch. It had been easy enough to fall into a faked friendship with the other Slytherin's, they were all merely pretending to be friends with one another anyhow, but he ached to be rid of them and back with Harry. He resisted the urge by doing the next best thing and headed out to tree by the lake.

As he made his way over, he noticed the vast difference in the lake and that it looked like it was thawing out, only lakes thawed from the middle, not from the edge. As he came closer to the spot he noticed the ground and the tree were scorched as if exposed to extreme heat or fire. "Harry," he whispered to himself. He looked at the water and the great distance that was left unfrozen and shuddered. This was a wizard that he would never want to cross, never wan to be on the wrong side of all this power, yet here he was, doing just that, and on purpose no less.

He ran his fingertips along the burned bark of the twisted tree. The tree where Harry once stood and caught Draco's attention so thoroughly that it caused his whole world to turn upside down. "I'm sorry, Harry," he whispered to the wind.

"Well you should be."

Draco turned startled, not having heard anyone approach. "Hermi… Granger," he almost slipped. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "How dare you ask me that?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Really Granger, unless there is something I can help you with, I would prefer if you left me alone," he said, gesturing her to flee with a flick of his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why you did that to Harry, you insolent little ferret!" she growled through gritted teeth.

Draco nearly smiled to himself, but quickly caught it and turned it into a smirk. He was going to have to watch himself more closely. He hadn't realized how many new habits and mannerisms he had picked up over the last several weeks, and Hermione's words reminded him of when she would reprimand them for getting hurt in the maze, or when he and Harry would whine about studying.

He and Harry.

Not anymore.

Hermione must have seen the change in expression though, because hers grew cautious and confused.

"It's for the best," he said simply, hoping his voice was steady enough and wouldn't betray his true feelings.

Her eyes flickered in what looked like amusement at first, then she glared at him knowingly. "I hope you know what you're doing, Draco." Then she turned on her heel and left.

"Me too, Hermione," he muttered when she was out of earshot.

--

Days went by in anguish for the Slytherin. He had managed to switch seats in every class, and to go back to sitting with his other housemates, in all but potions. Even though it had been Snape's idea to leave Harry alone, he still refused to let the boys split up until their joint potion project was complete, which would be a little more than a week away. It was unbearable.

Draco expected Harry to be mean and scathing and revert back to his old way of treating the Slytherin. He had many retorts saved up for such circumstances, but what Harry did instead, was worse. He was silent.

If Draco asked for something, he would hand it to him without a word or glance. If he asked a class related question, Harry would just point to the answer in their text or in his notes. If Draco asked a non-class related question, Harry just ignored him outright. He would have assumed Harry wasn't even there beside him if it weren't for the scorching heat that lashed out at him on occasion. Once it even caught the arm of his robe on fire and Draco squealed and rushed to put it out. He looked to Harry for any emotion, even laughter at his own expense would have been better than the dead look Harry had in his eyes as he barely looked up at Draco's plight, then promptly looked back down at his own work.

It was torture, slow and thorough.

At the end of class he would gather up his belongings and exit swiftly. Sometimes he would see him there at the Gryffindor table, flanked by Hermione and the Weaselette, who rumor had it, thought he had gotten over his 'faze', and moved back to girls. It was quite pathetic the way she acted around him; lounging against him, running her fingers through his soft hair and whispering Merlin knows what in his ear. Nothing she or anyone else did for that matter made him show any emotion whatsoever. It was heartbreaking.

--

It wasn't until the following week that Draco's world shattered into bits. It was lunchtime and Draco had just walked into the Great Hall and did a casual scan for Harry. He found him in his usual spot except on his right, instead of the fiery red head, was Anthony Goldstein. 'He isn't even a Gryffindor,' Draco mentally shouted to himself.

What made matters worse, was the fact that Harry was smiling at him. It was the first time the Golden Boy had shown any emotion of any kind and it was toward this Ravenclaw. Draco hissed the last word scathingly to himself.

"It looks like your ex has moved on."

Draco whipped his head around and glared at Pansy, who was watching the interaction between Harry and Anthony acutely. He didn't say a word as he went back to watching them himself.

Harry never even looked in Draco's direction the entire lunch period, and though he didn't seem like his normal jovial Gryffindor self, he certainly wasn't giving Anthony the cold shoulder. Draco begrudgingly left the Great Hall and finished out his classes then moped around the common room before going to bed.

--

Draco had discovered that sleep deprivation directly correlated with bad grades, so he decided to test some dreamless sleep draught to see if that would keep him out of the maze. It was fairly successful, so he kept it by the bed to drink every night.

He would still go to that now familiar place in his mind every night, like he was being sucked there through a straw, but instead of how it normally was, everything was gray and hazy. Even himself. It was as if he were just a ghost wandering through the maze, chasing after Harry as a gray mist.

Harry was the only thing with any vivid color in the maze. He took these nightly opportunities to watch the Gryffindor as he made his way alone through the dark paths. He felt a little voyeuristic, but it couldn't be helped. He had no idea what the Gryffindor would do if he just showed up in their dreams as if nothing had happened.

That night was no different, he watched Harry walk the previously un-trodden path, however there was a slight difference in Harry. He was less zombie-like then previous nights. This both thrilled and irked the Slytherin. He wanted Harry happy, but not if that that happiness excluded him. It was his own fault of course, but that didn't make Draco any happier that Harry was moving on.

--

Breakfast the following morning saw Anthony and Harry together again. Draco tried to contain his hurt and rage because the Slytherin's were eyeing him closely. He had to appear aloof, which hadn't been an issue just a few short months ago, but was now one of the hardest emotions he could muster. He wanted to strangle Anthony for daring to touch his Gryffindor.

He watched as the boys left the Great Hall, Anthony's hand placed possessively on the small of Harry's back and Draco almost lost it. He crumbled the slice of toast he held firmly in his grasp. "Alright then, Draco?" Pansy asked him. He just sneered at her, grabbed his books and left.

By the time Draco reached potions, Harry was already there, looking once again like an inferi. He had hoped that a trickle of the cheerfulness he had seen at breakfast would have followed him into potions. Draco had been looking forward to working with a slightly less walking dead version of Harry. To no avail, Harry's eyes were dull with dark circles underneath and his face slightly sunken as if he hadn't been eating or sleeping.

Draco took his place beside him, watching carefully as Harry inched his chair to the furthest possible place at the desk, angling away from him. Draco sighed and the Gryffindor tensed as if waiting for Draco to speak or move, but he didn't.

He tried to restrain himself, but he only made it halfway through the lesson before he could no longer contain the hurt building up inside his chest. "Quick to move on, huh Harry?"

He felt rather than saw the Gryffindor tense, flexing his hands in and out of fists, little flares of power licking at the edges of Draco's chair. Draco preferred the anger to the dead silence, so he continued. "I mean, for someone who claimed to be so enamored with me…" He didn't get to finish his sentence because Harry looked at him then and his normally brilliant green eyes were almost black with power and rage.

Draco was captivated, like a small rodent caught in the sight of a much larger predator. He looked away; back down to his notes but he new it was too late. "What. Right," Harry spat, enunciating each word clearly, "do you have to comment on my love life? What right do you even have to talk to me?"

Hermione was watching them now, completely on edge. Draco wasn't sure what, if anything she could do to calm Harry down. What could anyone do for that matter? Harry's power surpassed even that of Snape's. Draco had pushed things too far and immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry," he whispered so that only Harry could hear him.

"Sorry?" The power flared at once, singing the hairs on the small exposed patch of Draco's arm closest to Harry. The Gryffindor gritted his teeth and the power receded slowly. His jaw set in a tight line, he looked over at Draco, his eyes not yet back to their emerald shade, but no longer black either. "Don't you dare speak to me again, or I might not bother controlling myself next time," he growled through gritted teeth.

Draco merely nodded and went back to work. 'Well that went well.'

--

The day of the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch game started bright and sunny. Both teams were thrilled for the change, because it had been gloomy and wet all week. Quidditch games in the rain were hardly fun at all. It had been a little more than a week since the incident in potions, and Draco hadn't spoken to Harry since.

He continued to pretend-date Pansy, while Harry continued to real-date Anthony. It was quite pathetic the way his stomach still churned when he caught the boys kissing in between classes. He was hoping to get over Harry, as Harry had gotten over him rather promptly. He felt the chances of him one day making things up to the Gryffindor now out of reach.

He was still thinking about the dark haired boy as he made his way onto the pitch. When he looked up, Harry was doing circles around the stadium on his broom, already dressed in his form fitting gear. Draco had always loved the sight of Harry dressed for the game. The Gryffindor seemed to embody the ideal Quidditch player, the way he moved, and the way he flew. Even as a novice the boy could out fly Draco, but now Harry was anything but a novice, and Draco knew he had little chance of winning the game.

Draco was right.

Eight minutes into the game Harry took off like a bullet, heading toward a small golden flicker on the horizon. Draco took off after him but couldn't keep pace as the Gryffindor did a series of feints and loops. Draco could feel the cool wind on his face paired with the flaming heat coming off of Harry's body ahead of him.

Harry reached out and grabbed the snitch, and just as Draco was about to slow and concede defeat, Harry howled and released it. Draco took advantage of Harry's distraction and started to grab for it. A quick look at Harry stopped him though.

The Gryffindor was still flying along, though not as fast as before, but he was clutching his hand in pain. He looked up to find Draco watching him and his eyes darkened. Draco merely nodded toward the snitch, which was still hovering between them, as if telling him to take it.

Harry quirked a dark eyebrow at the Slytherin, questioning. "You can take it, Malfoy. I let go, it's fair game now."

Draco shook his head. "No, it's yours, you already got it." He didn't wait for Harry to argue, he just turned around and flew in the other direction.

The game ended with loud cheering, mixed with groans of defeat coupled with disappointment at such a short game. There hadn't even been any points made before Harry grabbed the snitch. Luckily everything took place so high up that no one on the Slytherin team knew what Draco had done. Though, it didn't make them less angry about losing.

--

It was late when Draco left the changing rooms. His housemates were more comfortable than before, but it didn't seem to stop them from moving to the other end of the room from Draco in order to change. So he went and showered first, luxuriating under the heated water. It reminded him of Harry's power, flowing like hot steam across his skin.

When he came out of the shower all of the other boys had left, so he quickly changed and stepped out into the night air surrounding the pitch. He only took three steps before a dark figure stopped him in his tracks, slamming him roughly against the wall. He knew instantly who it was and he was both frightened and ecstatic to have Harry pressed against him.

"I don't need your pity, or your charity, Malfoy," Harry hissed.

Draco tried to shrug, but Harry was holding him too tightly. He wondered briefly when the Gryffindor had gotten stronger than him. "It was just the right thing to do."

Harry huffed, his warm breath mingling with the cool air made the fine hairs on Draco's body stand on end. "Since when do you care what's right?"

"You have no idea," Draco muttered.

Harry stood there for another moment, pressing the full length of himself against Draco. The Slytherin realized with a satisfied smirk that Harry was getting hard. That knowledge filled him with lust and a sense of relief and before he realized what he was doing, he was kissing the Gryffindor. His lips crashed harshly against Harry's and he moaned against him, vibrating their lips and tongues.

The kiss was broken roughly and without emotion as Harry shoved the Slytherin away from him. "What are you playing at, Malfoy," he growled.

Draco didn't have a real answer for him. "You're compelling," he said simply, as if explained everything. He could feel Harry's palms pressed against his own, as he pinned him to the wall, and there was something off about the way it felt. He twisted in Harry's grasp until he held the left hand open to examine.

The intricate golden design adorning the snitch was now burned into Harry's palm like a brand, the heat of Harry's own power causing a mark his skin. "The snitch burned you." It wasn't really a question because the evidence was plain.

Harry laughed harshly. "I think it was more me that burned the snitch."

Draco ran his fingertips lightly over the raised pattern that would forever mark Harry's warm flesh, and he felt him shudder beneath the soft movement. A moment later the Gryffindor was standing several paces away, out of Draco reach. "Just leave me alone," he sighed and walked quickly from the pitch.

Draco waited until he was gone, before collapsing on his knees, unable to breathe properly.

--

Author's note: As always, please review!


	29. Chapter 28 Kappa

Chapter 28 Kappa

**Chapter 28 Kappa**

It was agonizing. He felt as though he had been living in this hell for years, unable to right a tragic wrong in his hateful life.

It had actually been no more than a couple months. The middle of April found Draco worried; terrified that Harry would get on that train at the end of June and never come back. He had left all semblance of his original self behind the day that Harry saved his life. He didn't want to go back to it now, and he had stopped trying after that day on the pitch.

He had lost the memory of Harry's fingertips a long time ago, shortly before the feel of his lips pressed against his own. That loss was achingly destructive to Draco's psyche.

He now took Harry's place where the walking-dead criteria was concerned. Harry, now seemingly content in his fledgling relationship with the Ravenclaw, drove Draco slowly insane. He rarely slept, and often when he did, woke up soaked with sweat, his face streaked with tears. It seemed pointless to eat, to continue this Harry-less existence longer than necessary.

Their join potion project long ended, Draco was back to sitting alone, staring at the back of the Gryffindor's head.

Always staring.

--

They had been walking in circles for ages now, since even before he broke up with Harry. Well, Harry was walking. Draco was floating nearby like a transparent specter watching over his beautiful Gryffindor.

The night seemed ordinary enough as Draco floated along ahead of Harry. It was then that he noticed that the maze was no longer the same, circling path as before. Several meters ahead of Harry and around the corner sat a murky pool of water and Draco panicked.

Harry approached the pool of water cautiously, but there was no way around it. Draco watched as the Gryffindor carefully waded into the water, the thick black water coming up to his waist. He had almost made it across when Draco spied a rippling in the water behind Harry, then Harry was gone, pulled under into the menacing depth.

Draco screamed, but no sound came out. He was stuck, floating in the air like steam when his Harry was dying. Why did he always have to do the wrong thing? He berated himself while floating lower, raking his eyes over the surface for any trace of his precious Gryffindor.

It was only seconds later that Harry burst free from the water, several small monkey-like creatures clinging to his back, their webbed hands clutching around his neck, strangling the boy. Harry finally made it out of the water on the other end, and the creatures leapt from him and back into the water, but Harry was unconscious and barely breathing.

Draco was thinking 'wake up' to both Harry and himself as Harry, splayed out on the dusty maze floor, barely fought for his life.

--

Draco woke with a start and bounded, still clad in only his pajama bottoms, out of bed and through the castle as quickly as his feet would take him, not stopping until he reached the Gryffindor tower.

It seemed to take hours, but really only minutes for him to persuade the Fat Lady into summoning Hermione. He watched as she left he own portrait and returned moments later with a frown. "She'll be here shortly."

Seconds later Hermione climbed through the portrait hole looking haggard and angry. "This had better be good, Malfoy," she seethed.

"It's Harry," he blurted. "He's hurt!" She looked confused. "The maze," he shouted impatiently.

"Harry said you don't go into the maze anymore," she mentioned skeptically.

Draco sighed. "I'll explain later, but I'm there, okay. Now will you please go check on Harry!"

"He doesn't sleep here, Draco. He still sleeps in the Room of Requirement," she replied.

Draco didn't know what to think of this new bit of information as he took off in the direction of the room he used to share with the Gryffindor. Did Harry stay there to keep away from the other Gryffindor's? Was it for sentimental reasons?

As he approached the empty expanse of wall and paced three times he froze when the door appeared. Did Anthony sleep here too? Was that what Draco would find when he stepped through the door?

He pushed the fears aside and stepped through the doorway, Harry was the most important thing right now. He had to save his Harry, even if Harry was no longer his.

--

To Draco's great relief, Harry was the only person in bed. He slept nude, as he usually did when he slept next to Draco, and the Slytherin felt a twinge of lust deep in his gut at seeing Harry's pale form splayed out in front of him.

Pale.

No that wasn't right, Harry wasn't pale, not like Draco, not like he was now. He ran over to the Gryffindor and listened carefully, but he heard no breathing. He tried to remember what the medi-witches would do in this situation, but he couldn't think. He had to get Harry breathing again.

He blew into the boy's mouth trying to will his own breath into Harry's body and the boy jerked on the bed. Draco stepped back as Harry coughed lungful after lungful of water onto the floor beside the bed.

He fell back onto the bed looking delirious and shaken. Draco couldn't blame him; he'd been nearly drowned to death. It wasn't until Harry choked out Hermione's name that he even noticed she was there. She rushed to Harry's side, gripping his hand between her two tinier ones. "I'm here, Harry."

"Make him leave, please," he rasped.

She looked tentatively at Draco, then back to Harry. "Harry, he just saved your life, I saw him."

Harry only nodded." Please," he whispered once again.

Hermione chewed her bottom lip looking conflicted when her eyes met Draco's. The Slytherin slumped in defeat. "I'll go, just take him to the hospital wing, okay?" She nodded at him, looking like she might cry.

"Thanks, Draco," she whispered as he walked left the room without a sound. What had he expected? Forgiveness? Hardly. Thanks? Unnecessary. All he really wanted was for Harry to be okay, anything outside that fact would have been bonus.

--

Harry's throat hurt.

And so did his head.

In fact, if he were honest with himself, he would acknowledge that everything was painful right now. He heard someone clear their throat close to his head. "Draco?" he rasped, the word hurting his throat even more.

He opened his eyes to find a frowning Anthony looking down at him. "I just ran him out about twenty minutes ago. I swear Harry, your ex is hateful."

Harry laughed at that, and it made his aching throat even worse. "I'm aware of that. Was he here long?"

Anthony grunted. "Only since the moment they let him in. He's been sleeping in that bed next to you every night. He's so belligerent."

"How long have I been here?" Anthony's other words were ignored.

He stopped to think, which made Harry roll his eyes. "Three days," he replied at last. "You know, he told me to leave? Not once, but twice when I came to visit he booted me out."

"Who?"

"Malfoy, of course."

"You could have told him no," Harry replied nonchalantly. Truth be told he felt a twinge of joy that Draco had been so possessive in his unconscious state.

"He told me to stay away from his Gryffindor. As if you belong to him, can you believe it?" Anthony seemed miffed, but Harry just smiled. He wondered what caused Draco's change of heart. That kiss back in March has been amazing, but Harry wasn't about to fall for the Slytherin's tricks again.

Did Draco really save him? How had he known that he was hurt, dying? "Anthony, could you get Mione for me please?"

He nodded fervently and left. Anthony was a nice boy, treated Harry well, looked up to, no, adored him. That part got just a little bit creepy. Sometimes it felt like he was dating his number one fan.

Not too long after Anthony left, he returned with Hermione in tow. "Thanks Anthony." Harry tried to instill in the boy that he wanted to speak with Hermione alone, but the Ravenclaw didn't seem to grasp. "Can I talk to her alone please, Anthony?"

"Oh, right. Sure," he replied before he left looking slightly dejected.

As soon as he was gone he turned to Hermione. "Okay, Mione. Tell me about Malfoy."

She gave him an innocent look. "Well, he's in Slytherin, blonde hair, good looking…"

He glared at her. "Come off it, Mione. I know the second you could get him alone you grilled him about what happened. I want to know."

She looked affronted at first but then just started laughing. "Too hard to keep up the pretense," she said giggling. She began to explain everything he had told her; from the sleep draught to the way he felt in the maze, to seeing him struggle with the Kappa, for that, she told him, was what they were. Everything up to and including the fact that Draco was still madly in love with Harry, though she admitted the love bit was purely speculation on her part, and that he had only broken it off with him in order to protect him from the outcome of the prophecy. She seemed especially angry that Harry hadn't told her about the prophecy.

Harry took a minute to absorb everything and though the maze bit was interesting, all he could manage to focus on was that Draco still wanted him, and had never really stopped. "Could you bring him here?"

She nodded and all but ran out of the hospital wing.

--

It was almost dark out when Harry woke up again. He had been asleep when Draco arrived but he just waited, not about to leave when Harry had specifically asked for him. Unless this was a ploy of Hermione's in order to get them talking again. Either way, he had waited.

"Draco," Harry rasped groggily.

"I'm here," Draco announced, leaping to his side and pulling Harry's hand into his own, then dropping it immediately, unsure if it would anger the Gryffindor.

"You came," he whispered, blinking up at him.

"Of course. I wouldn't be anywhere else."

Harry's eyes were bright and crystalline in the faint light coming in through the windows. He was thrilled to see the dullness wiped away. H watched as Harry extended his hand out to him. "Friends."

Draco paled and his throat went dry and scratchy. "If that's what you want," he responded, trying not to let his disappointment shadow his voice.

Harry nodded. "For now."

He sighed and placed his hand into Harry's. It was his left hand and he could feel the silken ridges of the scar on his palm. "I suppose Granger told you then?"

He nodded again. "Is it true? That you only broke up with me because of that stupid prophecy?"

"Stupid right? I've been telling myself so ever since."

The Gryffindor smiled, and it was the slightly crooked smile that Draco loved dearly.

They didn't speak for a while and Draco broke the silence first. "It doesn't make a difference though does it?"

"What, your reasoning?" Draco nodded and Harry sighed. "A little, but not enough for me to take you back." Draco sighed and leaned his forehead against their clasped hands. "We need to go back to working the maze together though, so we should be amicable. Okay?"

Draco nodded with his forehead still pressed against their hands, and hoped that Harry couldn't feel the tears escaping his traitorous eyes at that moment.

--


	30. Chapter 29 Square One

Chapter 29 Square One

**I love you guys. I'm sorry to string this along, but you know…Slytherin. **

**Chapter 29 Square One**

Draco kept his promise and didn't press Harry for anything beyond friendship. He even tried to reel in his feelings of jealousy when he found out that Harry hadn't broken things off with Anthony. He didn't know why he had expected him to, but he had.

The Room of Requirement was fitted with two large beds instead of one, so that they could stay in the same room, pending something going wrong in the maze. It made sense to everyone but Anthony, who didn't understand why his boyfriend was sharing a mysterious room with his ex. It was also impossible to explain, and when Anthony found out about their sleeping arrangement, Draco secretly delighted in the look on the other boys face.

That was until Harry made it clear that nothing was going on between he and Harry. Harry only thought of Draco as a friend now. The Slytherin wasn't sure if this was easier or less so now that Harry didn't loathe him, but didn't love him either. He supposed any Harry was better than no Harry at all.

Hermione was quick to forgive Draco his transgressions, now being filled in entirely about the prophecy; she understood why the Slytherin had done what he did. Though she could understand, she disagreed implicitly and made him promise to run all further hair-brained ideas by her first. Old Draco would have told her to piss off and mind her own mud-blood business, but the new and improved Draco thanked her for her forgiveness and continued friendship.

Draco's biggest obstacle by far was Anthony. The Ravenclaw abducted Harry during almost all of his free time, which left Draco with no real time alone with Harry, unless you counted the maze, and he didn't.

Hermione was no help on this matter. She stuck to her opinion that if Draco hadn't been such a prat than he would still have Harry, and that he should feel lucky that Harry was willing to even be friends with him. Draco just wanted it all to go back to the way it was before, where he could hold hands with his Gryffindor in the corridor, or kiss him casually before separating in the Great Hall. Now that he knew what is was like to really be with Harry, not just his friend, he couldn't settle for less.

This is the situation Draco found himself in that created the next passage in his journal. 'Taking Down Anthony'.

--

Anthony didn't like Draco. That much was evident from the way he stood, leaning against Harry whenever the three were together. It was also clear in the way he rolled his eyes at everything the Slytherin said and the way he constantly interrupted him while he was speaking. The fact didn't appear to be lost on Draco, but Harry thought he handled it better than he would have expected.

Harry was both impressed and a little annoyed that Draco was handling everything with such grace. Part of the Gryffindor wanted to be fought for, where the other more logical part told him that it was for the best not to create any more drama.

He and Draco had most of their classes together, where he and Anthony only shared one; Charms. Even though he tried to spend time during lessons with Draco as much as possible, it was made difficult because there were less and less group projects now that the end of the year was so close.

The end of the year.

That was another thing that worried him. Would Draco find someone new over the summer? Harry laughed to himself at the thought. He wasn't remotely worried if Anthony dated someone else, but Draco was another story altogether. He didn't know why even now, after everything the Slytherin had done to him, he still thought that one day, they might be together. Of course that hinged on several different factors, the largest of which was whether or not Harry would even live through the war.

His newly honed powers gave him a little more confidence on that front, but not enough to rule out his possible failure. The prophecy still gave him pause, he and Hermione had made no progress trying to decipher it and Draco seemed to be plagued with the fear that he would be responsible for Harry's death. He talked about it constantly, to the point where both Harry and Hermione had begged him to stop dwelling on it. Fate was something they could do nothing to curb, not really.

Harry's lessons continued with Dumbledore, and the older wizard was livid to find out that Harry had broken his promise and that both Draco and Hermione now knew everything that he did. 'You know, Harry' he had said 'this discourages me from thinking I can confide in you.' Harry knew this was complete bullocks though, because the old man never told him anything until it was too late anyway. He found out he was a wizard after having to endure ten years with the Dursley's. He found out about the link with Voldemort's mind after the Dark Lord used it against him. He found out about the prophecy after he was almost killed about it.

It wasn't that he didn't respect Dumbledore, he just didn't believe him. He knew, mostly from dating Draco, that everyone had an agenda. Dumbledore had yet to expose his own designs for Harry and that made him slightly nervous.

--

"Goldstein," Draco shouted across the corridor when he spotted the Ravenclaw heading for lunch. The boy looked uncomfortable to be around Draco without Harry's presence, but he walked over to where the blonde was standing nonetheless. "Harry wanted me to tell you to meet him behind greenhouse eight. Wait for him there, he has a surprise for you."

Anthony lit up like a Christmas tree. "Thanks, Malfoy," he called over his shoulder, already sprinting toward the nearest exit.

Draco kept going toward the Great Hall with a smug look plastered across his sharp features. He spotted Harry right off in his usual place at the Gryffindor table. He headed over and sat beside him, casually brushing his shoulder against the black haired boys arm. "Do you have the Transfiguration homework finished?" he asked conversationally.

Harry looked surprised but pleased that Draco had sat down with him. "Mostly," he answered, shrugging.

"You think you could help me with mine? I only have about half a meter out of the requirement completed."

Harry raised an eyebrow, curiously. "Really? You want my help?" Draco nodded. "I can show you what I have, I guess," he muttered as he pulled a scroll from his bag.

Draco took it and looked it over trying not to shake his head in disgust. It was all wrong, every last bit of it. The incantations were misspelled, the spell results were muddled and the handwriting was rubbish. "Thanks, Harry. That helped loads," he said, grinning and handing the parchment back to the Gryffindor. Hermione snickered and smiled knowingly when he looked over at her.

"I wonder where Anthony is," Harry mused. The Great Hall was full and there was still no sign of him.

"Hm, I wonder," Draco added casually. "Did you two have a row? Maybe he's out snogging some other bloke."

Harry looked amused. "Doubtful. I usually can't shake him."

Draco had to suppress a grin at the Gryffindor's comment. It seems things were not as blissful as they appeared on the outside, at least not on Harry's part. His attempts at subterfuge were going as well as could be expected. It wasn't that Anthony was a bad guy; it's just that he was in Draco way, and therefore needed to be eliminated at any cost.

Hermione cast him another knowing look but he ignored her and turned back to Harry. They made idle chit chat for the remainder of their lunch and then Harry headed off with a wave, claiming he needed to grab something before heading to class.

Hermione gripped Draco's arm and pulled him up and toward the exit, leaning against him conspiratorially. " I know what you're up to, Draco," she whispered.

Draco looked stricken. "Up to? I'm not up to anything."

Hermione snorted with laughter. "Really, Draco. Transfiguration homework? Dark Arts, maybe, Harry's brilliant at that subject, but he's rubbish in McGonagall's class."

Draco tried to look surprised. "He gets good marks in her class."

"You and I both know that's because she dotes on him like he's her long lost grandson," she said, rolling her eyes. Nothing rankled more with Hermione than an undeserved high score in lessons.

Draco groaned. "That essay was terrible."

She giggled and then looked at him seriously for a moment. "You didn't do anything bad to Anthony did you?" she asked disapprovingly.

Draco shook his head. "I just sent him to the other side of the school looking for Harry."

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to win Harry back." She winked at him and then took off for her own class.

--

Draco expected Harry back any moment. His lesson with Dumbledor should have ended and he would be making his way up to their room. Draco's heart raced as he paced the room. It had been a sort of unspoken agreement between them not to reference anything about the way their relationship was before.

He was going against that rule now wearing only the dark green silk pajama bottoms that Harry had arranged in this very same room the first time they made love. He wasn't going to push his luck tonight, but he was aiming for a kiss at the very least, something to tell him that his attempts were not in vain.

When Harry did arrive, Draco was leaning casually against the bedpost, arms crossed against his bare chest, staring at the Gryffindor as his green eyes took Draco in. He paused, mouth slightly open, formed into a soft 'o'. Draco smiled crookedly. "How was your lesson," he asked quietly, encouraging Harry to come closer.

"Fine," Harry mumbled, eyes still trailing Draco's lithe form.

Draco took a step forward, and so did Harry. It was like dancing, their eyes locked, their bodies moving closer together till they stood only inches apart. Draco could feel the heat emanating from the Gryffindor's body, and he wondered if it were lust or power or both. "I want you, Harry," Draco whispers against his skin.

Harry sighed, leaning against him, pressing his hands into the Slytherin's waist. He leaned forward as if to kiss Draco on the lips, but he diverted at the last moment, placing a searing kiss on the boy's cheek instead. "I can't. I'm sorry. I'm just not ready."

With that the spell was broken, and Harry fled the room, leaving Draco staring after him.

_--_


	31. Chapter 30 The Third Trial

Chapter 30 The Third Trial

**Author's note: This one is shorter than the others, and you're all going to kill me at the end of this. I can feel it.**

**Chapter 30 The Third Trial**

Draco fell into an uneasy sleep after Harry left. He was in the middle of reliving the last few moments before the Gryffindor had walked out on him, only this time he had to watch as Harry turned to Anthony, kissing him in the dark corridor outside the room of requirement. His former lovers words continued to echo in his ears, 'I can't. I'm sorry. I'm just not ready,' as he was pulled blindly from his nightmare and into another setting.

He realized only moments later that Harry must have fallen to sleep somewhere, maybe even came back to their own room after Draco had drifted off. The Gryffindor materialized into the maze beside him wearing a tight forced smile. Draco slumped and turned to start their walk through the familiar paths, without a word.

The Gryffindor grabbed his shoulder. "Listen, Draco, about tonight…"

"Don't. I get it, Harry. I just thought… well it doesn't really matter what I thought. You don't want me anymore and we'll leave it at that," Draco interrupted, trying to keep his voice from braking and revealing his anguish. "You won't have to see me again after we finish this, if we live that is. I'll finish out school at Durmstrang, father always did prefer that school over Hogwarts," he finished, turning away from Harry again and continued to walk.

He had almost gone around the next corner when he realized that Harry wasn't following him, but frozen stiff back where he had pulled away from him. "Harry?"

The Gryffindor didn't answer him though; he only stood, staring through Draco, a prominent frown on his forehead.

Draco slowly turned, following Harry's troubled gaze and saw a large stone archway where there hadn't been one just a moment before. "The third trial," he whispered. "It's almost over." The words sent a mixture of feelings coursing through his veins. Relief that this madness was almost past them, fear that it meant their fight with Voldemort was now eminent. It had been easy to push thoughts of facing the Dark Lord behind him while they were still nowhere near this final task.

The last feeling it left with Draco, however, was bitterness. It would soon be over, and Harry would either die leaving him alone in the most permanent way possible, or he would just leave, move on with his life and forget about Draco altogether. Neither option suited him, but he would rather his Gryffindor alive and happy rather than dead and buried.

He could feel the finality of it all so close that it choked him.

He took a deep breath and walked toward the gaping archway, sure that they were only the first steps that would lead to his misery.

--

Harry could feel more than see what was ahead for them. He wanted to take Draco's hand but he didn't want to dissuade his obviously painful decision. This would be one of the last times he saw the Slytherin, and that thought left him with a gaping hole where his heart should be. It would all be over soon. If he died, it would be far easier for Draco to move on if Harry didn't take his hand just now, if he didn't tell him that his pale dragon was all wrong, and that he did want him, but couldn't bare the idea of being left again. Maybe, if they made it out of this, he would explain.

But not now.

Now he walked forward, eyes locked on the archway. He expected to be met again at the entrance by one of the specters, but they were the only two there. Then suddenly without warning it was just Harry. Draco had disappeared right before his very eyes. Startled, Harry proceeded cautiously toward the center of the large stone clearing, making his way over to a vine-covered dais.

When he got closer he quickly realized that what he had thought were vines were actually ropes, and they held in place two sleeping figures, at least he hoped they were sleeping. Here in the center of the clearing tied to the dais were Hermione and Draco, their heads lulled to one side, the tops of them almost touching they were so close.

As Harry watched the Dais split in two and moved further apart, each piece settling over a part of the floor which now gave way to a pit of fire. The flames licked at the edges of their platform waking each of them within moments.

Hermione looked disoriented at first and then, once taking in her surroundings, shrieked for help. The ropes wrapped around her body were keeping her limbs from moving and all she could do was squirm in her bonds. "Hermione!" Harry shouted, "it's okay! I'm going to get you out of here." He didn't even have time to wonder how his Gryffindor companion had been pulled into the maze, but he had to rescue her from the impending pain and death broiling beneath her feet.

A look over to Draco showed him staring at the flames, his eyes wide and panicked but before Harry could move, or say anything to him, Dumbledor appeared at his side.

It wasn't really the headmaster of course, only a ghost-like copy of the elderly man. Harry could tell because his light blue eyes held the sparkle that he hadn't seen in them for weeks. "You must choose," the specter told him.

"I don't understand…" Harry felt his stomach drop as the implication of those words hit home. "I can't choose between them. I love them both," Harry replied in barely a whisper, his eyes were still wide and horrified his breathing erratic and his pulse leaping in his throat.

"You must choose the one you love more," the vision said, as if it were easy.

Harry snapped his head back and forth between them, Hermione still struggling in her bonds, her eyes pleading with Harry to save her. Draco already looked resigned to burn to death, a small smile played on his lips and his gray eyes were dull and lifeless.

How could he choose between these two? Any other two people wouldn't have posed so much of a dilemma. Though as soon as he thought it, he knew that wasn't true. He would never be able to condemn anyone he knew to a painful fiery death. He wasn't strong enough to choose between them.

The flames licked higher at both pedestals, earning another set of screams from Hermione and Draco closed his eyes, squinting against the anticipated pain. He had to choose now, or lose them both. He had to choose.

"Draco," Harry whispered. "I love Draco more."

He winced as he looked to his Gryffindor companion. He had never wished to hurt her. "I'm so sorry," he cried as he collapsed to the ground, his knees too weak to hold him up any longer. Her screams echoed through his mind, but his face fell, unable to watch his best friend burn to death.

When the screams finally died Harry looked up to find Hermione's dais fully submerged in the flaming pit, and Draco's dais was empty, the ropes still bound in place, but there was no one inside of them now.

The world went black around Harry as his body, wracking with sobs, lost consciousness.

_--_

**Author's note: I'm bracing myself. Go ahead. Let me have it.**


	32. Chapter 31 Draco's Decision

Chapter 31 Draco's Decision

**Author's note: My Slytherin tendencies tell me to hold off from posting this chapter and leave everyone hanging, but everyone was so adament for an updated in the reviews, so here it is, earlier than I had planned on posting it. I hope this chapter makes up for some of the distress I have been causing all of you. ****:)**

**Chapter 31 Draco's Decision**

"If you do not make your choice soon, Draco, they will both perish," came the familiar drawl of the imitation Lucius, now standing beside him.

"Isn't there some other way?" Draco pleaded. "Some way I can save Harry _and_ my mother?"

Lucious gave a quick shake of his head. "You must choose the one you love the most, the person you cannot live without." Judging from the look on his face, the specter seemed certain Draco would choose his mother.

Narsissa was bound to the stone dais and her face matched that of the specter. She appeared haughty and assured that her son would choose her over the Gryffindor tied up across from her. "Just end his suffering, my love," she said quietly. If only she knew how his mind was whirring, she might not look so confident.

He looked over to his former lover, the boy who haunted Draco's every dream, waking or sleeping. Harry's eyes locked with his own, green meeting gray, and he spoke with a firm determined voice. "Draco, save your mother."

Draco nodded. Yes that would be the obvious choice. His mother would no doubt take him back after this, after Harry was gone and he saved her life. She would welcome him back to her and he could start his life over, resume things to the way they were before Harry. He would forget. He would move on.

It made so much more sense than saving Harry, who would never take him back, who was even now, telling him not to bother, to save his mother instead. It made so much more sense.

Draco grudgingly realized, however, that love rarely made sense, and if he were to think about it, really think about it, the choice was clear.

"Harry," Draco said quietly, a deep frown set into his perfect features, and watched how the boy nodded and winced against the upcoming flames, and his mother smiled triumphantly.

"I choose Harry. I love Harry."

His mother's lovely face fell into confusion then contorted in agony as her pedestal sank lower into the pit, and the flames licked higher muffling her screams with their roar. He winced, but didn't dare look away; his mother deserved that much at least.

Once the flames settled, Draco looked to Harry, who was now lying in a sobbing heap on the ground, and then his world plummeted into darkness.

--

Draco woke up, his heart and mind numb. There was no peace, no calm before the images from the maze rushed into his consciousness. He had woken with the images of his mother, burning alive, embedded deep within him, coming to life every time he blinked. He could still smell the foul stench; still see her disappointment and anguish.

Heartrending sobs filled the room, and at first he thought they came from his own body, but looked quickly over to the other bed to find Harry. His legs were pulled up to his chest and his head was bent over them and he visibly shook from the cries escaping his lips. Was he crying over Draco's mother? It had been quite a traumatic sight, but seeing Harry's grief so plain, made Draco feel like a poor excuse for a son. How could this other boy, who didn't even know her, care so much, while Draco himself was so numb?

He climbed out of his own bed and into Harry's, covering the boy's hands with his own. "Harry, it's alright. You're safe." The sobs didn't lessen, so he tried another approach. "She wouldn't have wanted to keep living in fear. What if you can't beat Voldemort? She would have dies by his hand soon I'm sure."

Harry looked up then, his face streaked with tears, and his eyes alight with anger. "How the hell can you say that? She was an innocent," he rasped, "she didn't deserve that!"

Draco nodded to appease the Gryffindor, but was still perplexed over his reaction. "I admit it was horrible, I would never ever wish that upon anyone, especially not my own mother, but…"

"What does your mother have to do with anything?" Harry interrupted.

Draco opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. What was Harry playing at? "I thought… well, why are you so upset if it's not about my mother?" Draco was starting to feel indignant. Was Harry this upset because Draco chose him? Was he afraid he owed him now? He couldn't begin to comprehend the Gryffindor's flitting emotions.

"Why in the world would I be upset about your mother, when I just condemned Hermione…" He didn't finish the statement but an idea suddenly dawned on Draco.

"It wasn't real," he whispered, as much to himself as to Harry.

"Pardon?" Harry asked, still looking slightly outraged and distraught.

"Tell me, you were forced to make a choice, right?" Harry nodded, looking impatient and confused. "Between Hermione and who?"

"You of course," he sputtered as if it were clear. Draco heart swelled at those words. Harry had picked him over Hermione, his longest and best friend. That had to mean something.

Draco shook his head. "It was an illusion. I wasn't there. I was somewhere else, making my own choice."

Harry continued to look confused and then suddenly his eyes lit up with another emotion. "You chose me over your mother didn't you?" he whispered, looking slightly awe struck.

Draco nodded sheepishly, feeling suddenly embarrassed. He didn't have time to respond though, before Harry was capturing his lips. He melted against him, feeling weightless and giddy, all thoughts and fears erased from his troubled mind as his fingers found their place in Harry's wild hair.

When they broke apart it was only to catch their breath, but Harry seemed to remember something and his face fell. "Do you think that they're alright then? Your mum and Mione?"

Draco nodded, wanting to go back to kissing Harry, but thought it couldn't hurt to check. "Let's go find out."

--

Harry ran faster than he ever had before trying to get up to the Gryffindor tower. He flung open the portrait with a flick of his finger and without uttering a password. The Fat Lady shrieked at him incredulously but he ignored her and continued up to the girl's dorms.

He banged viciously on the door until a girl he barely knew opened it, looking livid and disheveled. "What," she hissed.

"Hermione. I need to speak with her, is she in there? Have her come out, please. Never mind," he babbled as he pushed her aside and made his way into the girl's dormitory, 'I'll get her myself."

He scanned the faces, some still in bed, pulling their sheets up to cover things that were not exposed in the first place, some now standing and shooting scathing looks at their intruder. Finally he spotted Hermione, who looked angry, but otherwise well. He scooped her up into his arms and crushed her in an enormous hug.

"Harry Potter, what is the meaning of this?" she choked out.

He lessened his hold but didn't let go entirely. "I am so glad you're safe," he answered, squeezing her once more before letting go.

"Harry," she huffed, no longer as angry and now looking red faced and embarrassed. "Get out of here. We'll talk about whatever it is that happened tomorrow," she looked like she wanted to know right then, but her roommates were all giving her the stink eye, so she shooed Harry from the room and promptly closed the door.

--

When Harry made it back to the Room of Requirement, Draco was there, sitting in his usual armchair by the fireplace. "She's fine!" Harry shouted, practically skipping over to kiss the Slytherin softly on the lips.

"So is mother. I had Twinkie, our house elf, check on her. She's sound asleep and just fine," Draco stated, sounding equally relieved.

Harry sat on the floor at Draco's feet and leaned his head against his legs. They were silent for some time before the Gryffindor sighed. "I love you, Draco."

Draco's heart skipped several beats at those words and reached his hand down to stroke Harry's soft black hair through his fingertips. "I love you too, Harry."

The Gryffindor sighed again and leaned into Draco's hand. "We'll have this one day, won't we? This peaceful calm, just being together?"

"Is that what you want? For us to be together?" Draco dared not hope.

Harry turned around and looked up into his pale dragon's sparkling silver eyes. "Yes, that's what I want," Harry responded, tugging Draco down into his lap. "That's all I'll ever want."

Draco kissed him then, and it was slow and sure and luxurious. "Then I will make sure you have it."

_--_

_Author's note: Don't get to complacent...Draco could probably still find a way to mess things up, and it's not over yet. lol. I'm also slightly disappointed. I expected you all to be much more upset over Hermione's death. lol. I guess I need to work on her character a little. I thought she was endearing. lol_


	33. Chapter 32 The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 32 The Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter 32 The Calm Before the Storm**

Harry and Draco stayed in bed late the next morning. They felt they deserved it after their rough night. Draco had his head pressed firmly into the spot beneath Harry's chin as he ran languid fingertips up and down the Gryffindor's muscled torso. He always liked how deceiving it was when Harry wore his robes, or any clothing for that matter. To the outside observer Harry seemed thin and lanky, but only Draco knew that underneath that clothing were firm sculpted muscles, which constantly called out to Draco's wandering hands.

He wondered briefly and grudgingly if he were, actually, still the only one who knew about the sexy body Harry hid under his school robes, or if a certain Anthony Goldstein knew as well. At the moment Draco was content that the Gryffindor had chosen to be with him again, but he didn't know what to expect when they were forced to get up and start their day.

Harry had been adamant about going no further than touching and kissing, not while he was still technically dating the Ravenclaw. Draco had wanted to ask him then, if he was still the only one Harry had made love to, but he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to that. He saw how close the two were, and it seemed plausible, if not a surety that they had done more then kiss.

Still Harry hadn't come outright to say he was breaking things off with Anthony and Draco waited anxiously for the moment when he could take Harry again, feel him, taste him.

Harry on the other hand seemed perfectly content to wait. He held Draco close and whispered softly to him plans for their future. Harry had never seemed more determined to keep them both alive and well so that they could start their lives together. Draco was determined as well, to make sure Harry got whatever it was he wanted.

--

They were still lounging in bed on that lovely Saturday morning when Hermione appeared in the doorway looking chagrined. "Sorry, I didn't think I would be interrupting anything." She looked curiously at the two of them, a slow smile forming on her face.

Draco made to move away, but Harry held him tightly, keeping him in place against him. "What's up, Mione?"

"You two certainly look cozy," she said, smirking.

Harry smiled languidly. "We are, but I doubt that's what you came all the way over here to say."

Harry seemed different, Draco mused, controlled and confident, like he had never seen him before. It vaguely reminded him of the Gryffindor when he was on a broom, but more intense. He wasn't exuding any of that otherworldly warmth that had been plaguing him since the realization of his new magic hit him.

Hermione seemed to notice too and just huffed in annoyance, apparently she was hoping for some mild blushing at the very least. "Dumbledore sent me to fetch you both," she stated at last.

He smiled again, and his voice was smooth as silk when he spoke. "I expected as much. We'll be there later." Draco flinched slightly at those words. His Harry was never one to put off a meeting with the headmaster. He wondered what in the world had gotten into Harry.

The look on Hermione's face said that she was thinking something very similar. "Harry…" She didn't seem to know how to proceed. Draco couldn't blame her; he didn't know what he would have said in response either.

Harry was still smiling, but it had left his eyes, it was a barely perceivable difference, but Draco saw it and paled. "You can tell him you delivered the message. I'll come when I'm ready."

Hermione nodded quickly and left, as if frightened. Maybe she was.

"Harry?" Draco asked tentatively. Harry looked down and grinned at him, and this time it reached his eyes, it made the tightness in his chest release slightly. "Do you think it's wise to keep him waiting?"

Warm laughter filled his ears. "What would he do?" Harry lifted his index finger and thumb and snapped his fingers. Flame erupted at their center and then extinguished with another snap. "I realized something last night," Harry mused, "I just fulfilled part of the prophecy."

Draco couldn't disguise his confusion. "How do you mean? We haven't gotten the gilded soul yet."

"No, I mean the part about the lion falling. It wasn't talking about death at all. It was talking about love." Harry's features were serene as he spoke, so confident in his assessment.

"You mean…"

"I mean, I had to fall in love. Completely. With you."

Draco smiled up at Harry's calm face. "So what does that mean? For the prophecy, I mean."

Harry shrugged slightly. "I think it means quite a bit, but I also think its just one part of the puzzle. The main benefit is that I have total control over my magic now, and it's even stronger than before." Draco shuddered and he felt Harry tense beneath him. "Are you afraid?" he asked warily.

Draco shook his head. "Not afraid, no. More like exhilarated." He knew it was true as soon as he said it. He knew Harry would never hurt him, especially not with his magic. He was anxious to see what Harry could do with it now.

He felt Harry relax again. "I think the redeeming for you will come when we see Dumbledore," he continued. "It's odd though, it seems that were moving through the prophecy all wrong. Nothing is happening in order."

Draco didn't think much of that, but he was suddenly so relieved that he wouldn't be the cause of Harry's death. Everything that had happened over the last several weeks seemed a waste, but then, would Harry have still fallen in love with him so completely if things hadn't happened that way?

--

They held hands on the way to the headmaster's office. Draco made Harry get up sooner then he had wanted to attend the meeting. He had rebuked him at first saying, 'I'm telling you, Draco, there isn't a thing he can do about it.' Draco conceded that fact but offered one of his own, 'He's still the headmaster and you should be respectful.'

Harry eventually caved and they set off. They barely paused outside the large gargoyle blocking the office entrance before it sprang to the side, offering up the moving staircase behind it to the boys.

The journey, though not slow, seemed so to Draco. He was dreading seeing Dumbledore after everything that had happened lately. He didn't wish to be informed of additional prophecies or be lectured on the impoliteness of eavesdropping.

It appeared he had nothing to worry about though. The elderly wizard seemed as happy as ever, if not happier, to see him. He offered up his usual tea and biscuits and sat patiently behind his desk, eyeing the two boys curiously.

"Miss Granger tells me there has been a new development in your relationship." He raised an inquisitive eyebrow while asking the question.

"Is she spying for you now?" Harry asked rudely. Draco elbowed him lightly in the side. Why was it he was suddenly the one being respectful of the old kook and having to remind Harry. Based on the look in Dumbledore's face, he seemed to be wondering quite the same thing.

He only chuckled. "No, Harry. I assure you that is not the case. She was merely… frazzled… when she reported back to me." Harry said nothing further, so Dumbledore kept talking. "I want to hear about your escapades last night. By my estimation you should have reached the third trial. Am I right?"

Harry only nodded. It was Draco who spoke up. He told the headmaster all about the task and how he chose Harry over his mother, and how they discovered later that it was only an illusion.

"Then you must have chosen Draco?" Dumbledore asked of Harry.

"Over Hermione," he replied, nodding again. He didn't seem upset that Draco had talked about the trial, but he didn't look like he felt nearly so inclined to do so.

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "Yes, you must have, otherwise you wouldn't be here, neither of you."

Draco's eyes widened at this, and Harry also looked a little shocked by the bit of information.

"Oh yes," Dumbledore continued. "If either of you were to choose differently, you would both be lost to the maze."

Draco wanted to ask about the prophecy, if they had indeed fulfilled part of it, but didn't want to say more than Harry wanted said. As if reading his mind, Harry looked over at Draco smiling, and nodded briefly. "Professor," he began, "do you think it's possible that we have fulfilled part of the prophecy?"

The older wizard chucked again. "Yes Draco," he answered, though his eyes were on Harry. "In fact, I believe you both have almost completed the prophecy." Harry nodded in accent. "You see, there is only the Gilded Soul left now, and after that it will be up to Harry to fulfill is own prophecy. Alone."

Draco shook his head adamantly. "Harry won't be alone. I can help." In his peripheral he saw Harry grin and shake his head.

"No, Draco. I won't have Voldemort using you in order to get to me. You'll stay here, safe inside the castle."

Draco turned on him then, even angrier than he would have normally been because of Harry's otherworldly calmness about the situation. "You can't expect me to just sit here and wait. I'll worry myself sick!"

Harry chuckled and leaned over, placing a delicate kiss on Draco's lips and a vivid blush colored his pale features. His eyes flicked to Dumbledore who was watching the exchange with a fatherly smile. Draco remembered what Harry had said about the headmaster being different since the outburst that he had eavesdropped on. 'He's lost his twinkle' he had said. Well the headmaster seemed plenty twinkley to Draco.

He looked over at Harry who was also scrutinizing the headmaster. He looked equally curios at Dumbledore's obvious change in demeanor. As if reading their minds, the older man inclined his head to the side and spoke in his fatherly tone. "I'm very pleased by the outcome of these events. I'm happy that we can trust Mr. Malfoy, " he said, gesturing to the blonde, but again his eyes were only for Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry, I should have trusted your judgment."

"Yes. You should have," Harry replied rather smugly. Draco was slightly impressed by Harry's newfound confidence.

"Nevertheless, good news. Also, I am quite impressed at the effects this new turn of events has had on you in particular, Harry. I don't feel your power trickling around you any longer."

"I have it under control now," he seemed to debate if he would say more then added, "I'm more powerful than before too."

Dumbledore raised a bushy gray eyebrow at that remark, clearly not expecting Harry could get any more powerful. "Would you care to… demonstrate?"

Harry shrugged and a moment later the entire office was in flames, with the three of them in a protective bubble in the center. Draco watched in horror thinking the headmaster would be furious, but Dumbledore merely looked around his decimated office with a curious expression.

Draco reached out a hand, the Headmaster following the movement closely, and placed it on Harry's serene face. The Gryffindor blinked once and the room was back to normal, looking completely untouched.

Dumbledore chuckled lowly. "Well, my boy, that was very impressive indeed." His eyes were on Draco this time, which made him squirm.

"I think Mr. Malfoy may be right Harry. I think you will need to bring him to the final fight." Both boys looked up at this, taken completely by surprise. Even Harry's seemingly unshakable calm wavered. "You see, Harry, I think your pale dragon here, " inclining his head toward Draco, "is the only one who can keep you from overdoing it. He seems to be your… calm."

Harry glanced over at the Slytherin and his eyes drifted down to their hands, holding tightly together. It was the first time Draco realized that they had been touching through the entire meeting, in fact, they had been touching ever since their kiss the night before.

Harry tentatively let go of Draco's hand. The immediate sense of loss made Draco reach out for his hand again, but Harry pulled back. The next feeling to rush up and meet him was the flickering tendrils of Harry's power leaking out all around him. Harry grabbed his hand again, and with a cool wind, the power flare was gone.

Dumbledore smiled widely, but Harry frowned. "I can't bring him. I won't," his voice was calm but determined.

Dumbledore leaned back into his chair. "Well that is certainly up to the two of you. I cannot make you do anything, Harry. We both know that." Harry nodded once, curtly, acknowledging that new fact. "Now, back to business. You should be coming to the end of the maze soon. Now that you have completed all three trials you only have the gilded soul left to you. Are we still in agreement that it should be brought back to me?"

Harry cringed slightly. "Well, about that, sir. I was thinking perhaps I should protect it now. My powers are…"

"It has nothing to do with power, Harry," the headmaster interrupted. "The fact is, I can keep it hidden, safe. Better than anyone else."

Harry nodded. "I understand. We'll think about it." It wasn't lost on Draco that Harry had said ' we'. He felt a warm rush of energy course through his veins.

Dumbledore looked slightly concerned, but nodded his accent and ushered the boys from his office, handing Harry another large tome for his research.

Once outside the office, they made their way back to the Room of Requirement, where they had planned to spend the remainder of their lazy afternoon. Still hand in hand they walked down the seventh floor corridor but Harry stopped short. Draco looked around curiously and spotted Harry's source of ire.

Pacing back and forth in front of a large expanse of wall, looking agitated was Anthony.

_--_


	34. Chapter 33 Phoenix Fire

**Chapter 33 Phoenix Fire**

Draco wasn't too surprised to see Anthony pacing across where the door to their room should be. He had been in the DA with Harry the previous year, and knew the trick to getting into the room, and he was after all, a stalker. At least that's what Draco thought of him.

Draco felt Harry's serene calm wane as he saw Anthony look down at their hands, still clutching onto one another. "Anthony," Harry asked stiffly, "what are you doing up here?"

It seemed to take a moment for the words to sink in. "What am I doing here? What is he doing here? And why are you holding his hand?" he spat.

Harry blanched but didn't release his hand. Draco smiled smugly until Harry shot him a look that clearly said 'do not make this worse.' "Draco stays here too Anthony, remember? I was going to come talk to you today, I've just been… busy."

"You were going to come… talk to me? Your breaking up with me, aren't you?" Harry swallowed loudly and nodded. "For him?" Anthony tried to clarify. Harry nodded again, and this time Draco did too. "Is there something I did wrong?" the Ravenclaw pleaded, "Something I can do to stop you?"

"No," Harry voice was soft yet firm. Anthony's face crumbled.

"I thought we had something, Harry? I saved you from the misery that this Slytherin put you through… and now you're going to leave me for him?" His words were meant to be scathing and mean, and they hit their mark with Draco. He would never forgive himself for the pain he had caused Harry when he left him.

They found another mark altogether with the Gryffindor though. Harry wasn't fond of people who bashed his pale dragon. He let go of Draco's hand slowly and walked toward the Ravenclaw. The Slytherin paled slightly, already feeling the traces of fiery magic leaking from Harry's body as he made his way over to stand directly in front of the Ravenclaw.

Anthony froze, apparently not liking the look in Harry's eyes. "Anthony," and his voice was calmer than his face, "you really shouldn't jump to conclusions about Draco."

The Ravenclaw huffed at that, naively forgetting his fear. "I saw it. I saw first hand what a mess he left you in, and now you just go back to him as if nothing ever happened? He's just going to hurt you again. He can't help it. He's a Slytherin."

Anthony tried to walk away, but a firm hot hand on this shoulder made him turn around and look back into Harry's smoldering black eyes, his earlier fear returning in spades. "Don't. Talk. About. Draco." His words were bitingly clear and anger began boiling beneath his skin. A cool hand wove it's fingers in with his own and Harry looked over to see Draco standing beside him, his presence and touch forcing back the anger that threatened to make ashes of the Ravenclaw.

"It's not worth it, Harry. Let him go." To Harry's ears, Draco's voice was soothing and almost ethereal, especially next to what he had just been thinking about doing to Anthony. Draco was like a guardian angel.

Anthony watched briefly the exchange between the two, light and dark, and took his cue. He turned and left quickly and quietly and Harry leaned heavily against the wall.

Draco stayed where he was, staring over at Harry." I'm sorry about everything. If I hadn't…"

Harry held out his other hand and Draco took it, immediately feeling better, more whole. "I have no regrets. Anthony was right, I was a mess… and I never intended to lead him on. He was always just a distraction."

"How big a distraction?"

A confused looked passed over Harry's slightly troubled features and then he smiled. "I never slept with him if that's what you're getting at."

Draco laughed nervously. "So you're all mine still?"

"All yours," Harry repeated, leaning in for a kiss. Draco obliged and their lips met in a chaste kiss.

When they broke apart Draco grabbed the front of Harry's robes. "Well, we have lots of lost time to make up for."

Harry chuckled and quickly went through the paces, making the previously invisible door appear, and let Draco haul him inside.

--

The evening found the two boys tired, sweaty and more content then they had been in… well ever. Draco had set out to re-learn every curve and line on Harry's body, however the no contest best part of the afternoon had been when Harry let out a little of that otherworldly heat while he was sucking Draco off. The memory of Harry's usually warm mouth set to a near meltingly hot temperature made Draco's cock twitch.

He looked over to find Harry smiling down at him. He looked amazingly untroubled considering he would need to battle Voldemort soon. Draco had tried twice to persuade Harry to let him come to the final battle with him; both times he was met with a resounding 'no'.

He thought now was as good a time as any to try again. "Harry?"

"No."

Draco tried not to laugh but couldn't stop himself. "How do you know it's a 'no'?"

"I just do," he muttered.

He laughed again. "Are you so sure? I could have been about to ask if you wanted some sort of sexual favor."

Harry raised a black eyebrow, which caused his forehead to wrinkle, which made his scar distort slightly. "Were you?"

"Well, no," he replied truthfully.

Harry's laugh was warm and full of unspoken lust and it made Draco tingle. "Then my answer is still no."

"But Dumbledore said I might be the only thing keeping you from going too far with your powers," Draco protested.

"Who cares if I go too far with Voldemort? I don't think anyone is going to be angry with me for killing him too much." Draco rolled his eyes, but Harry continued. "I can see it now, the headline of the Profit, 'Harry Potter accused of inflicting too much pain and death upon He-who-must-not-be-named'."

"Fine, fine. Have your laugh, but what happens if there are innocent people around when it's time to fight him?"

Harry laughed again. "Innocent people like Death Eaters, you mean?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Draco huffed, but then an idea struck him. "What if you have to fight him at the Manor? My mom lives there, you could hurt her, or worse," he replied, his voice trailing off at the end. The idea wasn't even that far fetched and suddenly Draco wished he hadn't thought of it. Now he was even more worried than before.

Harry looked suddenly thoughtful. ""I'll be very careful Draco. I won't hurt your mother, I promise."

Draco cringed. "Please, Harry, don't make promises like that. You never know what could happen in a situation like that."

"No, you're right, which is why you're not going." He said it in that 'final' voice he had begun using lately. It was infuriating, but Draco knew he just needed to bide his time. Eventually he would be able to persuade Harry, and if not, he would find a way to go without his permission.

--

They met up with Hermione at breakfast the next morning, and the three of them went back to the Room of Requirement afterward. Harry had made it clear to Draco that in no uncertain terms was he to tell Hermione that he let her die, however fake the illusion was it would still hurt her feelings. Instead they told her it was Dumbledore and Draco that Harry had to chose between.

She didn't fall for it though. Her face grew more and more pale as Draco described his version of the task, then when it was Harry's turn she grew frustrated and interrupted him. "Harry James Potter, did you send me into a fiery inferno?" she asked, remembering the way Harry had come bounding into her dorm that same night.

"Um, no," Harry replied sheepishly. "I sent an illusion of you into a fiery inferno, but you're okay!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you chose Malfoy over me," she grumbled, not entirely surprised.

"Oh no, not you too. You can Anthony should just form a club, the 'people rejected by Potter for Malfoy' club," Draco interjected. He was beginning to get a little irked that no one thought he was good enough for Harry.

Hermione winced. "Was it bad?" she asked Harry about the confrontation the previous day.

"Pretty bad," he agreed, happy that Hermione had adapted to the subject change Draco offered.

"Hm, that's awful. He's such a nice boy."

Draco cleared his throat and waved his hands in the air. "Hello, I'm still here. Isn't anyone happy that Harry and I are back together?"

Both Gryffindor's laughed. Harry leaned in and pecked him cheek. "I'm very happy about it."

"I knew it would happen eventually, I was just waiting for Harry to cave," Hermione added.

The three fell back into their easy camaraderie for the rest of the afternoon until Hermione spotted something interesting in the newest book Dumbledore had given to Harry.

"Harry, look at this," she exclaimed, pointing at a passage in the large dusty tome. Harry looked over her shoulder, but she made it rather pointless, because she just started reading it out loud. "According to this text," she began, "mage craft will often take on the characteristics of a magical beast. Much like an Animagi, someone who can perform mage craft can tap into these characteristics. There are two main differences between them however. The first is that the Animagi must actually transform into their selected animal in order to use those traits, where a Mage doesn't transform at all, only uses the heightened skills and traits of their animal. The other main difference is that Animagi can only transform into mundane creatures, where Mage's can only tap into magical creatures." She looked up at Harry then. "Do you think you could do this? Do you have any magical creature traits?" she asked with a wry smile.

Harry laughed. "Doubtful, do they sight examples?"

"It just so happens they do." This time she turned the book over to him. Harry read it to himself.

Some known Mage's in the past have been know to possess traits or skills similar to those of magical creatures and their decedents. Some of those creatures include:

Basilisk – Henry Noritz, a mage recorded in 1865 was reportedly able to petrify a human with his gaze. It was also reported that he was venomous, but that was never proven.

Dragon – Sir Newton Edwards, a mage recorded in 1890 was able to levitate great distances and great heights, and was also able to erupt objects into flame.

Griffin – Eleanor Swan, a mage recorded in 1902 was able to channel fierce protection spells that scholars have attributed to the Griffin.

Hippocampus – Gerald Bixby, a mage recorded in 1877 was able to swim enormous depths.

Manticore - Cesar Caspious, a Grecian mage was able to repel all major and minor charms.

The next entry caught his eye and he read it slower than the others.

Phoenix – It was once written in several historical textbooks that the first mage ever recorded in 1817, Anton Millbrae was a phoenix mage. He is the only mage ever recorded to have the power of the phoenix, and none have shown traits as powerful as these since. Widely accepted to be the most powerful of mage traits, Millbrae was hot to the touch and able the set things ablaze with a slight focused motion. He was unusually strong and those who knew him claimed him to be fiercely loyal. He was very adept at healing and protection spells, and his natural charisma was likened to the mighty phoenix song in that a word or speech from him would insight great deeds. He was also rumored to survive the killing curse, though that could never be proven as fact.

Harry stopped reading the passage there, looking at the page and then back to Hermione, who was grinning.

"What am I missing?" Draco interrupted from the other side of the room.

"Harry's a phoenix mage," Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm only two parts of that entire passage, Hermione. I hardly think it justifies…"

Hermione shook her head and held up her fists, lifting a finger for every point she made. "You're hot to the touch, you can control fire, Draco told me your protection bubble in Dumbledore's office was flawless, you are fiercely loyal, you are able to rouse people into action with only your clever words, and you survived the killing curse. That's almost all of them, Harry. You're a phoenix mage. The first mage to have those powers since 1817." She sounded giddy.

Draco came over and read the entire passage over Harry's shoulder. "You're also stronger now than before you came into your new powers. She's right."

Hermione huffed. "Of course I'm right. This is probably why Dumbledore gave you the book to begin with."

Harry just leaned back into the armchair and sighed. "I wonder why he didn't just tell me."

Draco laughed. "He probably knows how sick you are of him telling you new freaky things about yourself."

"Probably," Hermione agreed with a shrug.

Harry sighed looking worried. "You don't really think I'm a freak do you?"

"No," they both cried in unison. Draco leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek and Hermione shot Harry a confident grin. "You're just our Harry. You're special."

Author's note: I'm curious to see what you guys think of the confrontation and the new information about Harry.


	35. Chapter 34 Flare Up

Author's note:sort of filler, but this chapter sets up what has become one of my favorite chapters to write. I think you'll all like the next one.

**Chapter 34 Flare Up**

The next day, Harry took a trip on his broom. It was a beautiful mild evening and Harry decided he needed a reprieve from the castle. It had been an arduous day with the gossip of Draco and Harry being together once again, and having to dodge Anthony at every turn. He never noticed how often he crossed paths with the boy until he no longer wished to do so.

Draco stayed by his side the entire time, their hand holding taking on a completely different meaning to them than what the school speculated. Touching was not permitted in class however, and none of their teachers allowed them to share a table again, not even McGonagall, who refused to 'uproot the class once again for their shenanigans'.

It was inevitable that without Draco's calming influential touch, that Harry and Snape would have a massive blow out. Potions had been rescheduled for the last course of the day in order for them to have a practical trial at their potions exams. They were in the Great Hall instead of the dungeons and Snape seemed more agitated than usual. The incident had started off relatively minor, with the professor taking away points for improperly stirring his potion. It then progressed into a shouting match, which it seemed they both were determined to win. It came to a head when Snape gave Harry a detention and Harry refused it.

Draco ended up with his own detention for getting up and placing his cool hands against Harry's in the middle of the argument. It calmed Harry though.

"Harry, what were you thinking?" Draco moaned as they made their way from class, Hermione scurrying to catch up.

Harry shrugged. "The man just knows how to push my buttons. Even knowing what I do about him now, it doesn't make it any easier. It might even make it worse, it seems like he's taking out all his aggression for my father against me."

"Well maybe he is. Not that you deserve it, but could you blame him? I've seen how close you look to your father. It's probably pretty hard for him to even have you in his class after everything that happened when he was a student here," Draco said thoughtfully.

"That's no excuse," Harry muttered. "He's the adult, he should get over it."

Draco shrugged, dropping the subject. It was too much of a sore spot with Harry, and he didn't want to fight. "Maybe you should just think about how you respond though before you get us both another detention."

"Sorry about that. I could have handled him though," Harry grumbled.

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. "Really? You were doing such a fantastic job up till then."

Harry sighed. "You don't have to go."

"To detention? Yes, Harry I do. Unlike you I don't have super powers and I still have a respect for authority figures."

"Humph."

Draco laughed. "Seriously, Harry, you only have a little over a year left. You should just bide your time and try not to get too carried away with your power trip."

"My power trip? Is that what you think this is? You think I want any of this? That I wanted to not be able to control any of this without you? Do you know how hard that is for me? I have to have you touching me, all the time, or I completely lose my temper."

This was exactly what Draco was hoping to avoid, he grabbed for Harry's hand to calm him down, but Harry jerked it from his reach. "No. I'm just going to have to get control of all this on my own. I can't be depending on you."

Draco's mouth dropped open, affronted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Harry looked guilty for a second but it quickly dissipated in the flames of his anger. "Just… I need to be alone." With those parting words Harry spun on his heel and took off for the courtyard.

--

Draco looked over his shoulder at Hermione, who looked extremely put out. "Draco, I swear sometimes you just don't know when to shut it do you?"

Draco shrugged, exasperated. Had he really managed to mess it all up again in such a short time? "Maybe he really is better off without me."

"No," Hermione said quickly. "Don't start with that nonsense again. Harry just needs to get a grip on all the changes that are happening to him. You just need to be more… supportive, and less argumentative."

Draco laughed painfully. "Believe it or not, Hermione, that was me trying to be less argumentative."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you, Malfoy?" she huffed and walked toward the library. They only had an hour or so until dinner and she wanted to do more research on Harry's new powers.

Draco followed close behind her and then caught up to walk beside her. "Do you mind if I join you? I think I'm going to let Harry cool off before I try and track him down."

"Probably for the best," Hermione sighed. "Come on then," she replied, grabbing his hand and hauling him toward the library.

--

They hadn't got much done in the library. Hermione chattered on about the developments in the prophecy and Harry's newly found phoenix abilities. All the subjects she was currently obsessed with just reminded him that Harry wasn't there holding his hand anymore. It also reminded him that Harry didn't want to be there and that he didn't feel like he could depend on Draco.

He kept trying to distract his thoughts but couldn't. Eventually he began tuning Hermione out and doodling pictures of dragons and phoenixes on his parchment. It was these images that had him search out a particular book in the restricted section, giving him an idea that could potentially solve Harry's dilemma.

--

Harry didn't show up for dinner, but Hermione didn't seem too concerned by it. "Harry does this a lot, Draco. Calm down."

He tried.

It didn't work. He continued to watch the door all through dinner waiting for Harry to make his fashionably late entrance. When they were both finished, Hermione said good-bye and made her way up to her own common room.

Draco stayed in the great hall until all the other students had gone, then grudgingly went up to the Room of Requirement to wait for Harry.

His book proved quite useful, and he soon had a ritual spell that would help Harry. He dozed off in his armchair by the fire, waiting for Harry to come back so that he could show him his news.

--

Harry nearly collapsed from exhaustion when he made it into the Room of Requirement. It was late and he was spent. He had spent hours trying to control his magic without Draco's aide and only managed to burn a new clearing into the forbidden forest. The Centaurs kicked him out for the disturbance. He wouldn't be welcome back there for a long time.

He found Draco asleep in his usual armchair, a large book balancing in his lap. He brushed gentle fingers across his forehead, pushing blond strands from the boy's eyes. He always looked so peaceful when he slept, and it wasn't the first time Harry thought 'angel' when he looked upon him. The flickering firelight across his sharp pale features, made him look hauntingly beautiful. "I don't deserve you," Harry whispered, placing a chaste kiss on his dragon's cheek.

"You should let me decide what you deserve," Draco mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes.

Harry chuckled lightly. "You awake then?"

Draco nodded and yawned. "What time is it?"

The yawn transferred over to Harry. "A little after midnight."

"You still upset with me, or did you stay away long enough?" Draco asked, frowning.

A soft smile played on Harry's lips. "I'm sorry I got mad." His fingers were laced with Draco's and the forgotten calm was soothing the remnants of Harry's previous anger.

"I think I have a cure for you." Harry only blinked, so Draco continued. "This book has contains magic transference spells," he said, gesturing to the book in his lap.

"And?"

Draco smirked, and he realized it had been awhile since he had done so. He had felt do distraught for weeks that he was only able to muster a weak sneer for this fellow housemates, and then the last weekend had been so cozy with Harry that he was sure his face had been plastered with a stupid grin for the entirety of it. Smirking felt good. It felt right. It meant he finally knew something that Harry didn't and he wasn't completely useless.

"The dark mark is a kind of magical transference spell. It's what made me think of it originally. His is only one sided though, so to create a bond between us that would allow us to draw on the energies of one another, we would have to mark each other."

"I… still don't understand. You want me to give you the dark mark, and vice versa?" Harry was very pale when he spoke those words.

"No, no," Draco sighed. "I was just citing an example of one that you would be familiar with. There are all sorts of versions and levels of these spells. Voldemort's is actually a smaller scale spell in the spectrum. He can send pain through it, or summon people to him, but that's about the extent of the connection the mark creates with his followers."

"I don't need a mark to summon you and I don't want to cause you any pain," Harry said, still looking peeked.

"Would you please stop interrupting?" Draco huffed. Harry nodded and the Slytherin ran his fingers through his hair before continuing. "What we would do is different from his, vastly different. We would mark each other with a spell that would allow you to tap into my calm, so that you wouldn't need to be touching me for it."

"About that, listen I'm sorry. I didn't mean that I didn't want to touch you all the time, or that I couldn't depend on you. I do, want to touch you I mean." Harry was stumbling over his words. "I just know it's not possible, and I don't want to lose control of myself every time I'm not able to touch you…. also I do depend on you, and I know I can, Draco…"

Draco silenced him with a long deep kiss. "I already know all this, Harry," he said softly when they broke apart.

Harry chuckled. "You're pretty clever, huh?"

Draco smirked again and pointed to his chest. "Slytherin."

"Right," Harry replied with a smile. "I almost forgot."

Draco looked affronted for a moment but quickly got back into his explanation of the transference spell. "As I was saying, the spell we can use to mark each other would be very different to what Voldemort used, and it would go both ways, instead of only one of us being able to use it."

Harry nodded. "Okay, I can understand the benefits on my side, but what would you get out of it?"

"Well for one, if I was nearby, and I saw you losing control, like this afternoon in Snape's lesson for instance, I could activate our mark and send the calming waves to you. In fact," he started, opening the book again. "I think we could even arrange it where I could tell if you needed it or not through the mark, so I wouldn't even need to physically see you."

"That would solve the issue of me fighting Voldemort alone," Harry said, grinning.

Draco frowned. "No. I'm still going to be there, but yes, in theory it would solve that issue, but it's a moot point, because I'm going."

Harry rolled his eyes but chose not to argue. "So how else? Why would you want to be bonded to me like this? The effects still only seem to benefit me."

Draco didn't look up from his book and chewed lightly on his bottom lip, yet another mannerism he seemed to have picked up from Harry. "I just… want to have a connection to you," he started shyly. "I was going crazy this afternoon when you took off. I would like some way of knowing that you're okay."

He looked up expecting to be refused, but Harry just had a larger grin on his face. "That sounds reasonable. Will it work the same way for me?"

Draco nodded, still not able to find his voice. Something about asking Harry to bond with him in this manner made him anxious. They would mark each other and they would be welded together forever, and constant pull of power between them. What if when all was said and done, Harry didn't want him anymore? He would still have a permanent reminder of him embedded in his flesh.

"It's permanent, Harry. Just like the Dark Mark, it will be on your skin forever. Even if you leave me, my mark will still be there, you would still be able to tap into me, and I you."

Harry nodded.

"That doesn't bother you?"

"Should it?" Harry asked. "I have no intentions of leaving you."

Draco let out a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding. "Good, then let me show you the spell."

--

Author's note: reviews are my fuel.


	36. Chapter 35 Marked

Chapter 35 Marked

Author's note: This chapter is rated NC-17 for more hot boy on boy action. This has been one of my favorite chapters to write so far, so I hope everyone enjoys it

**Chapter 35 Marked**

Hermione saw no issues with the magic transference spell that Draco had planned. The Slytherin made Harry agree to run it past her before hand, since Draco had promised to run any and all asinine ideas past her first, and he was pretty sure that this would qualify. Her demand of watching the ritual was quickly turned down however. The idea of marking Harry was highly erotic to Draco, and he didn't want an audience for it. Hermione tried to argue, but Harry seemed to have his own reasons for not wanting her to be there as well, because he also said 'no' in that final way he had of doing lately.

They did promise that they would come get her when things were completed so she didn't need to worry that something went wrong. She seemed mostly placated and dropped the demand. So with her approval they planned to do the ritual that evening.

The day drug by slowly, after that decision. Draco was eager to get started and couldn't seem to concentrate on any of his lessons. He and Harry deftly avoided Anthony again, which was getting a little old. The filthy Ravenclaw had started a rumor that Harry had cheated on Draco with him in the beginning, and that was really starting to piss off the Gryffindor. Draco tried to ignore it, but knew that it was best to keep away from Anthony; otherwise he might not be able to control his own anger, and keep Harry's under control as well.

The lesson changes did not work in their favor however. Not only potions, but several other classes were to use the Great Hall in varying times throughout the day, so even though Harry and Draco kept to a path they were almost certain wouldn't lead across the Ravenclaw, they were found mistaken. On their way to lunch they ran into him. Literally.

"Oof," Draco exclaimed, having had the wind knocked out of him by a passing student. He hadn't even seen who it was but he heard Harry nearly growling and could make a guess. "Goldstein," Harry shouted.

The lanky Ravenclaw turned around to face off with his former boyfriend. He paced over to stand directly in front of Harry, two of his friends flanking each shoulder. "What do you want, Potter?"

"Where the hell do you get off starting rumors like that when you know I never touched you?" Harry growled.

Anthony looked nonplussed. "What, you never told your precious Malfoy that you cheated on him with me?"

The sly grin on Anthony's face was immediately wiped off by Draco's fist. Harry pulled the blonde back slightly, but Draco had a good chunk of Anthony's robes. The Ravenclaw looked scared, and if Draco's first punch was any indication, he had every right to be.

Harry squeezed down on Draco's hand trying to force a calming presence in Draco, knowing full well it didn't work that way. "You know it's not true."

Draco nodded. "I know, but it doesn't mean this prat should get away with saying so."

Harry kept pulling and eventually Draco let go of Anthony, making the Ravenclaw stumble back into his friends. Harry was careful not to let go of Draco during the process so that his anger wouldn't start flaring up too. "Just stay away from us, Goldstein." Harry spat.

"And keep your mouth shut, too," Draco added before walking toward the great hall.

--

Harry and Draco both narrowly escaped detention for the stunt before lunch. It seemed both Snape and McGonagall agreed that the boy had it coming. Though they didn't say that in so many words. They let both boys off with a strict lecture about 'fighting like muggles' and sent them along their way.

It was finally time, and Draco's heart was racing. This, in some ways, was more nerve wracking than the first time they had sex. Partly because of the anticipation and partly because it was a more lasting and deeper bond than anything they could do physically together.

Harry led the way into their room, where Hermione had already acquired and left the needed items. Their armchairs had been replaced with a large plush blanket, and they lounged on it in front of the fire momentarily.

"Still think this is a good idea?" Draco asked, his voice a little shakier than he would have liked.

Harry nodded. "You?" Draco answered by disrobing. Harry smiled quirking an eyebrow. "You didn't say we had to be nude."

Draco laughed. "We don't have to be." Harry nodded, smiling, and followed suit.

--

The ritual was fairly simple. They would each draw a symbol on the other's body, and recite the spell, then a potion would be poured over the drawings, causing them to come alive and making them true marks, just like Voldemort's. Hermione had prepared the potion earlier that day, and they were set.

They sat crossed legged in front of each other and just stared unblinkingly for several moments. Harry was the first to break the silence. "Did you decide where you want your tattoo to go?" Draco nodded and pointed to his left forearm.

Harry looked confused. "Really, the same place you would get the dark mark?"

Draco shrugged. "It doesn't have anything to do with that. I needed a place that I could cover if I wanted, but would still be easily accessible with my wand. Not all of us are wandless wonders."

Harry laughed but the mirth didn't reach his eyes."Are you certain? I feel weird about it."

Draco sighed and thought quickly. "Okay, chest then."

Harry smiled his crooked smile. "Fair enough. I have your design all planned out. Lay down."

Draco raised an elegant blonde eyebrow and smiled, obligingly lying down on the soft blanket. Harry picked up a quill and dipped it into a pot of dark green living ink. This ink was required to make the potion activate later. Harry traced the feather side of the quill softly along Draco's skin, making him shudder. He then began to draw a very elaborate dragon on the Slytherin's chest, carefully keeping it only an outline, so that the flesh of the dragon was Draco's own pale skin.

The Dragon was curled up, as if sleeping, it's large leathery wings folded across its body. There was a strangely mischievous look on the dragon's face, which made him look as though he were only pretending to sleep. It's long scaly tail curled around Draco's shoulder and upper arm. Harry finished the tattoo with ink from the pot of silver, marking where the eyes would be. The ink seemed to soak through the dragon's eyelids into Draco's skin, and all that was visible was the detailed outline. "My pale dragon," Harry whispered.

Draco pulled Harry down into a heated kiss, stroking his lips and tongue before letting him go, his messy black hair flopping back into his face.

"Your turn," Draco said lightly. "Where do you want your tattoo?"

"My back." Draco looked curiously as him, but he explained. "All I'll have to do is concentrate on it. I won't even have to touch it to make it activate."

Draco nodded. "Lie on your stomach then."

Harry did, and Draco couldn't help but watch the dark haired boy stretch out along the blanket. Harry had a magnificent body.

Draco had Hermione procure brushes for his drawing; it would take too long to do with a traditional quill. He mimicked Harry's movements from earlier and ran the dry brush over Harry's back, down his spine and down the crack of his arse, making Harry squirm and moan. Draco leaned down and kissed Harry's pert little arse cheek. "We'll take care of that soon enough," he said laughing.

Harry chuckled lowly and Draco continued with his work. He made a large elegant painting of a fiery phoenix on Harry's back. It's colors a rich burgundy, red and gold. The wing's spread across Harry's back from shoulder to shoulder; it's head on the nape of his neck. The golden beak he painted open, as if singing a lovely song, and the tail feathers fanned and trailed down onto Harry's arse. It was a piece of art that Draco designed to accentuate all the sensual bits of his Gryffindor lover. His last adorning mark was the sparkling green gemstone eyes.

Harry was obviously frustrated that he couldn't see the drawing, which now took up his entire back. He kept trying to angle himself to see it, but could only take in fragments at a time. Finally he transfigured the wardrobe doors into a mirror, so that he could see properly. "Draco, it's fantastic," he chocked out, his voice cracking with raw emotion.

"It's you," he replied simply, not willing to let himself get just as emotional. "Do you have the spell ready?" Harry nodded. They got into position, Draco with his wand pressed against the phoenix on Harry's back and Harry with his hand covering the Dragon on Draco's arm. They said the spell together in soft well-enunciated words. "Vox - ut - Vox , vestri vires es meus vires , EGO sum vestri , quod vos es mei."

Power tingled through their bodies and seemed to pool in the flesh that held their new body art. The sensation was magnetic and felt like thousands of wings fluttering against their skin. They watched as the ink sunk into their flesh, making permanent art out of the magical ink.

They went back to the blanket and each grabbed a flask of potion. It was a transparent golden color with what appeared to be metal flecks floating inside. Harry tilted his vial back and forth to watch it glisten in the firelight. "Ready?" he asked Draco, still not looking up from the mesmerizing potion. He saw Draco nod out of the corner of his eye. "Are you sure we're not supposed to drink it?"

Draco laughed. "You're doubting this now? It's a little late if we're making mistakes."

"True," Harry agreed with a crooked grin. He uncorked his flask and held it over Draco's tattoo and slowly dripped the mixture onto his chest. The potion pooled up on his skin like mercury and seemed to take on the shape of the design, not dithering onto his unmarked flesh.

When every bit of it was covered, the metallic fluid glimmered and sank into his flesh, making the whole tattoo a glittery painting for a brief instant.

Draco hissed. "It burns a little," he whispered through gritted teeth.

"Bad?" Harry asked, immediately concerned for Draco. He should have insisted they try the potion on him first, knowing even as he thought it that Draco wouldn't have allowed it.

Draco relaxed and shook his head. "It's already eased up. It just feels very cold now."

Harry reached out and stroked the spine of the white dragon and winced at the chill in Draco's flesh. His body reacted immediately though and the Dragon raised it's head and opened it's eyes revealing glistening silver orbs. The dragon blinked up at Harry, and he swore it smiled at him, before ruffling its wings lightly and settling back down. The tail flicked lightly from it's position curled around Draco's arm, to rest against it's own body.

"That feels… strange," Draco said, but a small smile played on his features. He uncorked his own potion and gestured for Harry to lie back down.

Harry complied and felt the cool potion pooling on his back. He could tell when the entire tattoo was covered because he began to feel the distinct burn on his flesh, almost like his skin was being eaten away. If he hadn't seen it happen to Draco, he would have assumed the art would no longer be there when the potion had finished its work. The pain eased almost immediately though, just as his Slytherin had said. He sat up, now kneeling on the blanket, his back still to Draco.

He could feel the phoenix on his back now, like an extension of himself, like another limb. It was a peculiar sensation at first, like the tingling when your foot went to sleep, but then morphed into something he couldn't even describe. He felt Draco run his fingers down the breast of the bird and he shuddered. His phoenix also seemed to enjoy the touch of his lover and Harry could distinctly hear a soft twinkling song, which he could feel, came from his tattoo. "Strange," Harry whispered, echoing Draco's earlier sentiments.

He felt the bird flex its wings and looked down to see the brilliant feathers trail around his torso. When its wings were fully spanned they reached around to touch Harry's navel. "It tickles," he said, laughing. A look at Draco found him watching the bird with awed fascination. His dragon was almost purring and he saw the tattoo on Draco's chest slink down to his forearm and stretch out to meet Draco's fingertips, so that it too could feel the phoenix. A flick of a tiny dragon tongue on his neck sent shivers down Harry's spine. Draco laughed behind him. "He's licking the tear from the phoenix's eye."

Harry was about to laugh, but a jolt went through his entire body. He distantly heard a gasp from the other end of the room, but the feeling in his gut distracted him, making him double over. Draco seemed to be doing the same, but then it subsided as quickly as it had begun.

Harry could feel not only his own phoenix after that, but also Draco's pale dragon. He thought about the dragon on Draco's arm and a look over at Draco found his eyes wide. The dragon was curling and uncurling his wings as if readying himself to leap from Draco's arm onto Harry. Draco petted it absently and the Dragon calmed, at the same time, so did Harry.

It felt it like a cool wind drifting over his heated flesh. It was just like having Draco's hand in his own. "Can you feel that?"

Draco nodded. "I can also feel the power emanating from your phoenix. It's… breathtaking." His hands were on Harry then, whipping him around to face him. He pulled Harry down into a kiss and Draco's lips were unusually warm. It was as if he had taken Harry's warmth into himself. Harry pressed himself against his Slytherin and found his entire body to be as warm as his lips.

He felt the bird flutter on his back and then settle serenely as he continued to kiss Draco's fiery mouth. He could hear cries and moans but had no idea whose lips they were coming from, it could have easily been either or both of them. They fell in a heap, each groping one another as if their life depended on hanging onto the other. Draco moved his hot mouth from Harry's lips, making a trail of wet heat down his jaw and his neck. He stopped at each nipple, paying them additional attention, and making Harry gasp and writhe.

His trail continued down Harry's stomach and navel, where his tongued lapped roughly and Harry bucked against him. When he reached the thin trail of black hairs leading lower, he stopped and looked up into Harry's glistening green eyes. "I want you to feel the way I did when you did this to me," The words were whispered and seductive and Harry could picture the image of what Draco was referring to in his mind.

The brilliant make up sex. Harry had poured his otherworldly heat from his mouth into Draco's groin as he sucked him that day. It tore the most elegant screams of pleasure from his pale dragon, and Harry still got hard just thinking of it. All Harry could do was blink at Draco's request. The Slytherin took it as an ascent and licked the tip of Harry's cock with his hot tongue.

Harry lost himself in the feel of Draco's hot liquid tongue on him. It surrounded his cock in expert swirling motions, alternating deftly between sucking and licking. His tongue blazed burning trails across his skin, but what should have hurt, only felt like liquid desire, pooling and building.

His climax came bursting unexpectedly with one last scorching thrust. He was clawing at the floor, trying to catch his breath and the bird on his back was flapping its wings fervently against his skin. A calming wave fell over him and he looked up, through thick back eyelashes to see a pleasant smirk on Draco's face. His fingers were trailing his tattoo and the dragon on his arm purred and grinned. "I don't have to use a wand," Draco said brightly, obviously happy about this new development.

"We're bonded now," and even as Harry said it, he knew it was true. They shared everything now.

Draco leaned down and kissed Harry deeply. The Gryffindor could taste himself on Draco's tongue and he moaned against his mouth. Draco's eyes opened at the sultry noise and he pulled Harry out of the kiss and flipped him around, bending him over.

He trailed soft fingertips across the painting he had made on his lover's back. The phoenix reacted at once, cooing softly and rustling its feathers. He centered his own length against Harry's channel, and with a quick muttered spell from the Gryffindor below him, found it slick and ready. He watched the phoenix as he pushed into Harry, and kept watching it as he thrust, deeper and deeper each time, eliciting the eagerly anticipated noises from Harry.

If he thought Draco's mouth had been warm, than Draco's cock must have been a flaming torch. It took his breath away and made him cry out his name over and over. The steady heat and friction nearly sent him over the edge again. It didn't take long before he felt Draco's climax, pooling inside of him like liquid magma. Draco's screams of pleasure were mimicked with a faint roar from his dragon.

Harry's lips curled into a crooked smile as they fell against one another in a heap, sweaty and panting for breath. "Brilliant," Draco muttered. Harry could only nod, still at a loss for words. Harry kissed his Slytherin, lingering with his bottom lip between his teeth. "I love you," he whispered upon letting go.

"I love you, too," Draco replied with a soft sigh.

It was only then that they heard the quiet, squeaky sigh from the other side of the room. Harry leapt up, immediately placing himself in a protective stance in front of Draco. The phoenix on his back stirred in agitation. He stalked over to the bed and with a slight flick of his fingers, the entire piece of furniture shifted to the far wall, several feet away.

In the place where the bed had just been, in a small, giggly, frizzy heap was Hermione.

_--_

Author's Note: The spell translates to: Power-to-Power, your strengths are my strengths, I am yours, and you are mine. See my livejournal – username Digitallace for some artwork I made to go along with this story. I recreated both of their tattoos.


	37. Chapter 36 Voyeur

Chapter 36 Voyeur

**Author's note: Well, I have officially mapped out the rest of the story from this point. The end is in sight, maybe only 4 or 5 chapters away. This chapter was mostly for my amusement, however there is some useful information toward the end. lol**

**Chapter 36 Voyeur**

Hermione was grinning ear to ear and trying to divert her eyes from either of the naked boys in front of her. Harry looked livid and Draco looked about to burst with laughter. "Hermione Jane Granger, get up this instant." The young Gryffindor was instantly mollified by her housemate's stern tone. "Did you just… watch us?"

She stifled a grin and struggled to meet Harry's eyes and not let them drift lower. "Sorry, I… just wanted to se the ritual. I hadn't expected… well, you know," her voice came out broken and the verge of a giggling fit.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, are you happy now? I'll never be able to look at you again," his words were stern but his voice was slightly teasing.

"Me? Think of how I feel! I won't be able to stop picturing the two of you for the rest of my life," he voice was also teasing, but even as she said it she knew the complete truth those words held over her.

"Well it serves you right. Gawking at us from under the bed," Harry shook his head unable to finish his thought. The idea of his best friend watching him in his most intimate moments with Draco made him shiver in annoyance. The phoenix on his back mimicked the movement, ruffling her vast feathers across his back.

"I suppose your right. I didn't think it through, I didn't think about what might happen after," she was carefully examining the floor, her eyes had carefully avoided looking at either boys exposed genitals as her eyes drifted from Harry's to the floor.

Draco couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. He found the whole situation quite entertaining. Hermione's eyes met his after hearing him chuckle and he winked at her. She blushed furiously and looked back at the floor, her eyes wide having not managed to avoid looking at his erection on her way back down to the floor.

Draco nudged Harry lightly with his elbow and nodded towards their robes. "It would be extra kind of us to cover up since she's obviously staying."

Harry laughed as he looked over at Hermione who was making no move to leave, and was apparently trying to memorize the floor. "It would be extra kind of us. Are we feeling kind Draco?"

A small smirk played against Draco's pale features, and Harry though for a moment that he might say no, but he walked over to their discarded clothing and picked up their robes. He immediately discarded them however when he thought of having to cover Harry's magnificent tattoo. He knew it would have to be covered eventually, but he didn't want it to happen yet, not when it was unnecessary.

He discarded the robes back to the floor and headed for the wardrobe. He pulled out their green and burgundy pajama bottoms and took them back to where Harry stood. The two boys dressed quickly and Draco noticed Hermione watching them with a wicked grin. Decent, they went over to where the blanket was still splayed in front of the fireplace.

Harry waved his hand and several things happened at once. The blanket and their clothing moved to a pile in the hamper in the corner, the brushes and instruments used in the ritual hovered in the air for a moment before placing themselves gently on a side table that had appeared in between two armchairs he had just conjured. It was an impressive feat.

Hermione seemed to think so too, for her eyes got even wider than they had been when she accidentally looked at Draco's exposed flesh. He hadn't stopped to think of it, but she had never really seen Harry's new abilities in action before. Draco saw it so often now that he almost took it for granted that Harry was just more powerful, the most powerful even. It no longer bothered him the way it once did, giving him little pangs of jealousy that Harry's magic came to him so fully and naturally. Draco was content though, as long as he had Harry, he didn't care what powers the boy had that he himself did not.

Draco and Harry took a seat in one of the oversized armchairs, squishing together. Their limbs tangled and Draco leaned in for a chaste kiss. He saw Harry's eyes drift over to where Hermione stood. "Really Harry, I don't think a small kiss is going to ruin her Gryffindor virtues. She saw much more than that just a bit ago," he teased.

Harry smiled and captured Draco's mouth in a fiery kiss. Hermione gasped and Harry looked up at her confused. "You two are… so beautiful together. I mean, you're both quite lovely apart, of course, but together… there are no words." Draco grinned feeling suitably flattered and Harry blushed, pulling his Slytherin closer.

Several moments passed in silence as Hermione took her seat across from them and played with a lock of her hair, staring out into space. Harry wondered if she was still picturing he and Draco together, and decided he didn't care. Let her have nightmares, or elicit fantasies, whichever the case may be, it was her own fault.

Draco laughed, as if reading Harry's thoughts. "She's going to be a bit distracted for awhile, I think." Harry nodded and grinned.

That seemed to snap her out of it. She looked back over at the two boys; her cheeks still a vivid pink, and smiled. "So show me these marks. I want to see them up close."

Draco held out his arm, which was closest to her and sandwiched between the chair and Harry. She leaned over and studied it for a long moment then reached a hand forward. "May I touch it?"

Draco nodded so she leaned closer and ran a delicate fingertip down the dragon's tail. The dragon, Draco had already begun referring to him as Quill in his head, opened his eyes and raised its head. A small gasp from Hermione said that the movement was not in Draco's mind alone. Quill didn't smile as he had for Harry, but neither did he hiss or growl at the girls touch. It stood then, fluttering its wings and trying to get a closer look at Hermione. "It's so lifelike," she exclaimed. "Harry, I didn't know you could draw." Harry shrugged, obviously embarrassed.

"His name is Quill," Draco offered.

Harry looked up quizzically. "What? You named him? Shouldn't I get to name him?"

Draco laughed. "I didn't name him, he named himself. It was just what popped into my head when he came to life." Harry looked slightly affronted. "That didn't happen for you I take it?"

Harry shook his head. "I do know it's a her, though."

"So were gay, but our marks are heterosexual. Swell."

Harry laughed. "It is an inter-species love though," he added as if that cleared everything up.

All three of them were laughing then. It was Hermione who broke first. "Okay, Harry, let's see yours."

Harry wiggled free of Draco's grip and shifted in the chair so that his back was facing Hermione. It made the Quill brush against his phoenix though, and both boys shivered with the touch. "Ember," Draco whispered with no other explanation.

"What?" It was Hermione that asked, but Harry was also curious.

"Your phoenix. Her name is Ember."

Harry smiled, "You got that from the touch just now?" Draco nodded with a smirk. "I like it."

"Me too," Draco and Hermione both said in unison.

Hermione stood and walked over to the other boys' armchair. Harry was straddling Draco so that he could show his back to Hermione. He was attempting to ignore the growing erection pressed against him to no avail. He watched as Quill slinked back up Draco's arm to settle down on his chest, where Harry had originally drawn him.

Hermione closely examined the phoenix on Harry's back as she had done with Draco's tattoo. When she reached out, Ember cooed at her and ruffled her wings. "What does it feel like?" she asked.

"Strange," both boys answered in unison, chuckling.

She couldn't see the entire design though, because of Harry's trousers. She placed a tentative hand on his waistband. "Do you mind?"

Harry laughed. "You've already seen it I guess, so have at it."

Hermione blushed furiously as she pulled his bottoms down low enough to see the entire piece of art, for it truly was art. Draco's drawing looked more like a master painting than something hand-drawn. "Draco, this is stunning."

"If you're talking about Harry's arse, I already know that." Hermione blushed darker and Harry joined her. "But if you speak of the phoenix, thank you. Only the best for my Harry." His silver gray eyes were locked with Harry's green ones as he said it. Harry leaned in a kissed him lightly on the lips.

Hermione righted Harry's trousers and went back to her own chair. "That was an amazing ritual. Even though I got more than I bargained for, I'm still glad I watched."

--

"Interesting indeed," Dumbledore chuckled after peering at Harry and Draco's new body art. "You've been busy these past few days I see."

Draco smiled. "So you don't think it was a terrible idea?" he asked, already relieved by the headmasters obvious acceptance.

"Quite the contrary, I only wish I had thought of it. I think it will be a valuable asset in your upcoming battle." He looked critically at both the boys then. "Speaking of, where is the gilded soul?"

Harry and Draco exchanged a look. "Well, we were hoping you could help us with that question. We haven't been back to the maze since the last trial. It's been four nights, sir. We don't understand what's wrong."

The headmaster leaned back in his chair and studied the portrait above Harry's head. "Tell me Harry, can you feel Voldemort in your mind."

"Right now?" The headmaster nodded, so Harry tried. He searched his mind for that niggling feeling in the back of his head that indicated an intruder, but nothing was there. "No sir, nothing."

Dumbledore nodded. "I thought that might be the case. I believe this was an unanticipated side effect of your ritual. No that you are bonded to each other, there is no way for the Dark Lord to create a mental bond with you, Harry. Since we cannot see what he's doing, I can only assume he's not ready for you to find the gilded soul. He's keeping the two of you away from it until he's ready."

"What happens then?" Draco asked.

"Well, at which point several things could happen. Voldemort may try and reopen his connection with Harry, and find it permanently closed. Which means, no gilded soul. See, you were only in the maze at his bidding, so without him, you cannot get into it."

Harry blinked. "So how do we fight him then? How does it all end if not with the gilded soul?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "You were never going to use the gilded soul against him. You couldn't. It is his weapon to wield, no one else's. In fact, if that is the case, and you are officially closed off from him, then I am relieved. It would have been a distraction at best to have the gilded soul unprotected."

"Okay, and what if he's able to reopen the connection?"

"Then you will find yourself in front of the holding place of the gilded soul, and you must bring it to me." A strange light echoed in Dumbledore's eyes, and Draco found himself worried. He doubted heartily what the headmaster said about the gilded soul. How could it possibly be a weapon that only Voldemort could wield? That made no sense. There was only one thing that did.

Dumbledore wanted the weapon for himself.

--

Author's Note: Next chapter – The gilded soul is finally attained, but by whom?


	38. Chapter 37 Deceit

Author's note: Okay, so the end is near. sniff. I'm a little teary over it, I just finished the next to last chapter (39) and am in the middle of the final chapter. I can't believe I've almost finished it! I hope the ending is satisfying for everyone, as this is the first chapter of the ending, the slippery slope down to the bottom. Have fun reading!

**Chapter 37 Deceit**

Harry slept in Draco's arms, their marks pressed tightly together. Draco was nowhere near sleep, however, and he could feel Quill just as restless, pacing back and forth across his chest. He couldn't shake the feeling that Dumbledore was lying to them. Something about the way he insisted the gilded soul was a weapon, which only Voldemort could use. It filled him full of doubt. He hadn't shared those feelings with Harry yet. Tomorrow he would see what Harry thought about it.

As he drifted into an uneasy sleep, he felt Quill settle as well, purring against Harry's phoenix.

--

The air was cooler in the maze than it was in his bedroom snuggled against Harry. He kept looking back and forth waiting for Harry to appear, he had been asleep first after all.

"He's not coming," a voice slithered from the shadows.

Draco looked around frantically but no one else was there. A sharp cackle cracked through the air.

"Your precious Gryffindor's mind is too powerful for me now. He's able to thwart my attempts at control, but you, my dear boy, are ripe for the picking." Another sharp laugh cut through Draco like a knife. He was alone, alone in the maze, with Voldemort in his brain.

"Now you're catching on. I have a proposition for you, Draco. I only hope you do not disappoint me as your father did, or else I may leave you here to rot."

Draco wanted desperately to be back in Harry's arms. "Let's hear it then."

"Good boy. I see the Gryffindor has taken the fight out of you. Just as well, fighting with me will only get you killed. Look ahead there. Do you see it?"

Draco looked until he spotted the archway, the same as the entrance to the trails. Only this time it was different. The trials were over, and beyond this archway was a golden sunlit meadow. "I see it."

"In that space is my prize. Bring it to me, and I will let you spend your last measly days on earth with your precious Potter."

Draco scoffed. "You're going to have to do better than that."

Another sharp laugh echoed in the gloom. "I see you still have a touch of Slytherin left in you after all. Well, I'm a merciful Lord. If you bring me my prize, I will leave you and your lover untouched." He seemed to spit out the word 'lover' like a distasteful food.

"Why should I trust you?"

"It really is your only option," the voice said.

"Fine," Draco had no qualms with going along with the plan. He had to get the wand to leave this place, and once he had it he could easily just take it to Harry. A sharp cackle erupted like lightning across the sky and then faded completely.

He was gone. For now.

--

Draco made his way into the meadow. It was beautiful, filled with yellow and pink wildflowers. In the center was a stone dais and he winced, remembering what he saw tied to a similar pedestal not too many nights previous.

This one was ornate, with scrolls and leaves carved into its rough surface. On the pedestal rested a pearly box. It was long and narrow and not very deep and had intricate silver inlays. It was beautiful. Draco stroked the box lovingly. It looked like a family heirloom of some kind, and had the Slytherin coat of arms on its lid.

The box wasn't locked and opened easily. Draco's pale fingertips hovered in the opening for a brief moment before tossing the lid back to reveal its contents.

He didn't know what he had been expecting. The gilded soul sounded like such an awe-inspiring name for an object, for a weapon, as Dumbledore called it. Draco supposed this could be a weapon, but it seemed rather ordinary, silly in fact, to have such a title.

Inside the box, on a velvet liner, sat the object that had caused Dumbledore to create this maze however many years ago.

It was only a wand.

It was a beautifully crafted wand. It was about nine inches long and very thin. It was gold in color and glittered in the sunlight filtering into the meadow. It had ancient runes carved into its face, but it wasn't at all what he had expected.

He lifted the wand carefully from its encasement and flicked it. The podium, along with the beautiful gilded box exploded in a shattering blast. "Not bad," Draco muttered to himself. Another flick sent the archway he had walked through crumbling to the ground. No spells uttered, just destruction, unintentional and complete destruction. He was briefly reminded of the prophecy.

He felt the world shift beneath him, and he recognized the feeling as being transported from the maze. He was eager to see Harry, to show him the wand, but something felt off. The piercing laugh returned and Draco felt darkness closing in on him.

--

The room was familiar, but he didn't want to be here. He wanted to be back with Harry, not here in his father's study. The thought gave him chills. He whipped around, scanning the room, and found himself alone. Quill was pacing back and forth across his chest, agitated. The study was dark but even though Draco knew his father had been unable to use it for over a year now, it didn't show any signs of disuse.

A trail of anger and fear trickled along his spine at the thought of that creature using his father's beloved study. It made him curious as to what other things Voldemort had defiled in his stay at Malfoy Manor. What rooms had he chosen to occupy? Did something like Voldemort even sleep?

Draco's gaze hovered over the large family portrait over the fireplace. Those were easier times, happier times. Draco shook the memories away, even as he thought it he knew that wasn't true. He was happier now than ever before. Happier with Harry.

It was hard for him to think, the wand was a heavy weight in his hand, far heavier than anything so slight should be. An idea bombarded him then, and it was all he could do to try and think it through logically instead of running headlong into it.

This wand could kill Voldemort.

It was utter destruction with a single flick; he could blow the creature to pieces. Harry would be furious if he found out what Draco was thinking, but if he could just take care of it, here and now, it would keep Harry out of danger later. Then they could start their life together, a real life made up of mundane problems and arguments as opposed to war and death looming over their heads.

He could picture it clearly after his long talks with Harry about their future. Neither wanted to live in London, so their household would be in the country, maybe even a nice manor outside of Hogsmeade, so that when Harry became the DADA professor at Hogwarts he could just come home instead of staying in the castle. Harry didn't even know yet that he wanted to be a professor, but Draco could easily see that future for his lover. His kind generous spirit would make it easy to pass down years of knowledge and experience to young students.

They could go to school Quidditch matches dressed in their old house colors and cheering for their old house teams and Draco would make Harry buy him a drink at the Three Broomsticks when Slytherin won. It would be a simple life, free of the frills and responsibilities he had grown up with, and full of the warmth and love that they both lacked growing up.

He could do this thing for Harry, after everything Harry had done for him; the least he could do was kill Voldemort for him. He looked down at the wand in his hand, he had the tool and he would use it.

--

The corridor outside his father's study was also dark. It was ominously quiet in the Manor, no house elves or Death Eaters roaming around the lavish passageways. He thought first of his mother, he needed to get her out of the manor in case something went wrong, so he padded as quietly as he could up the main staircase.

His mother's room was on the third floor and in the far east wing of the manor, and couldn't have been further away from his starting point. It seemed to take ages to reach it, carefully looking around corners and being silent and cautious. In the end he reached her suite without ever coming across another soul. It was easy… too easy.

Draco suddenly realized that he had walked headlong into a trap. Voldemort sent him here from the maze, he knew he was here at the manor and he knew he had the wand. There would be no sneaking up on him, he was probably cackling from somewhere at the prospect of sixteen year old Draco trying to best him.

Draco carefully turned the handle to his mother's suite and pushed the door open. As expected Voldemort was there, standing behind his mother, his pale disgusting hand wrapped around her throat. Only her eyes betrayed the horrible fear she felt, a Black and a Malfoy, his mother was bred to be cold and emotionless. He hated seeing the fear in her eyes, and even as he looked at her angelic face, he knew her fear was not for herself, it was for her only son.

"Mother," Draco nodded as if greeting her for tea. He nodded to Voldemort next, hoping to stall things slightly so that he could get a plan together. "Master." He spoke curtly, but politely, as he would address his father. "I have your prize." As he said it he extended out his hand, the golden wand resting lightly in his palm.

Voldemort's eyes went wide upon seeing the wand. He promptly released Narsissa and walked toward it, almost hovering in the air with his cloak billowing behind him like smoke. "I see you came to your senses, perhaps you will live up to my expectations of a Malfoy heir after all."

He was close now, so close that Draco could smell his musky reptilian scent. He reached his hand forward, nearly touching the tip of the wand and Draco readied himself.

In a swift movement, Draco grasped the wand tightly in his hand and flicked it toward the Dark Lord. He braced himself for the explosion, or whatever else was going to ensue from the wand, but nothing happened. He looked up to find a murderous smile on the Dark Lord's face, marring his already hideous features. The creature shook his head as if admonishing a small child, clucking his forked tongue in disappointment. "Draco, Draco, did you really think you could kill me with my own wand?" Draco didn't answer, but he must have looked as puzzled as he felt, because Voldemort continued. "Yes, that's right, Draco. My wand. Now it's not the same as what was originally given to me, the one that hold's the phoenix core, which I hear your dear Gryffindor has the match." Draco didn't confirm or deny his suspicions, because he had no idea what core Harry's wand held, he only knew that he no longer needed it regardless of it's core.

Voldemort reached out a leathery hand and stroked the back of it across Draco's cheek, sending a shudder down his spine and making his dragon mark claw against his skin. "You see Draco, this wand is mine, because it contains my soul. That is why Albus hid it away, so that I could never obtain it again, but what he didn't realize, was that this bit of soul is what kept me from dying those many years ago when my spell backfired."

Draco knew his mouth was gaping, but he couldn't seem to find the presence of mind to shut it. His eyes flicked to his mother who looked even more terrified than before. "If it was keeping you from being destroyed, than why wouldn't you just leave it there?" Draco managed to speak, and he was proud that his voice didn't betray his terror.

"Ah, good question. I can see your Slytherin mind is not a complete waste after all. Maybe I will find a place for you among my Death Eaters. I would very much enjoy breaking you." Draco shuddered and that horrid smile reappeared on Voldemort's face. "This is a concept I am sure a lovely boy such as yourself can understand. I need to reunite with my soul in order to transform my body back to its former glory. It may seem like vanity, but I assure you it is more than that."

"As Tom Riddle I was attractive and charming, able to manipulate anyone I wished, much like you did with Potter." Draco winced but Voldemort didn't seem to notice. "Now, without my soul, I am reduced to this," he spat, gesturing at his own form. "It's not without it's benefits, striking immediate fear in my victims, but it won't gain me the power that I crave; the power to rule the Ministry and the entire wizarding community. With that power I will be able to obliterate muggles and clean our magical bloodlines."

"Are you planning to begin with yourself then? Harry tells me your own father was a muggle, not even a half blood," Draco asked slyly. He didn't know where the words had come from, and immediately cursed his newly acquired Gryffindor courage. He prepared himself for whatever curse was about to hit him, but it wasn't a curse, it was Voldemort's scaly hand slapping across his face.

It stunk like fire, and he could feel the slight trickle of blood seeping down his face from the cut it made. "You shouldn't take stock in Gryffindor's Draco, especially not one so high on my list. Your Harry will die and I just might make you watch," he spat.

With those final words Voldemort grabbed the hand that still held the wand and crushed it beneath his own. Draco hissed as the tiny bones broke and went limp. The Dark Lord easily pried his wand from Draco's grasp and aimed it at the boy's chest.

Draco closed his eyes and straightened up, taking a deep breath and prepared for the killing curse. His shoulders squared, he reopened his eyes and glared his silvery orbs against the Dark Lord's menacing red eyes. Voldemort's cackling laughter filled the room and he shuddered once again. "Oh, no. You don't cross me and get off that easily, Draco. Did your father teach you nothing?"

With the wand still raised at his chest he only had a moment to be scared before the curse hit him. "Crucio." The spell had been hissed and the sparks of power hit Draco across the chest like a freight train. He didn't know how long he writhed and screamed on the floor, or how long his mother's cries of agony coupled with his own, before he black out, but one moment he felt as if he were burning from the inside out, and the next moment all was darkness.

--

"Draco!" Harry shouted, bolt upright, grabbing his chest. Ember was crying on his back, as song that was painful desperately sad. A quick scan of the bed and as expected, Draco was missing. "No, "Harry whispered, knowing full well that he was in danger. He could feel it through his mark; he could feel it in his heart. A wave of dread passed over him as the realization of what this meant sunk in.

_Somehow Voldemort had Draco._

_Author's notes: Everytime you don't review, a faerie loses it's wings...or something to that effect._


	39. Chapter 38 Panic & Loss

Author's note: sadness overwhelms me.Sorry for the recent state of MIA, I've been reading the new Stephanie Meyer book. I was one of the super lame people waiting for a copy at midnight Friday. lol. When did I get so boring? I've been asking myself that for far too long. Without further ado, Chapter 38

**Chapter 38 Panic and Loss**

Hermione was having pleasant dreams involving pale flesh pressed against tanned, and swollen red lips hovering over her own, when it was tragically interrupted. She was being shaken awake, and she recognized the feel of her intruder immediately and opened her eyes. "Harry, " she whispered, sleepily, hoping it didn't come out as a moan.

"Mione, he's gone," Harry shouted, still shaking her even though it had already completed its intention of waking her up.

"Who? Draco?" Harry nodded. "I'm sure he's just in the castle somewhere. I'll help you find him," she groaned, already feeling the loss of her fantasy slipping through her fingers.

"No, you don't understand. Voldemort has him." At this name several of the other girls in the dorm began whispering.

"How do you know?" Harry merely glared at her petulantly.

"Really, Mione. You're supposed to be the clever one."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Right, the marks. Sorry, I'm still a bit groggy."

He pulled her up out of bed and kept pulling as he rushed them from the room. They didn't stop until they reached the headmaster's office. Harry leapt on the rotating platform, which had revealed itself the moment they came upon it, and Hermione followed.

Dumbledore looked more frantic than he ever had before. He was shaking his head and muttering things that Harry only got bits of, such as ' terribly unexpected' and 'most unfortunate'.

"So you already know?" Harry asked as he burst into the room, seemingly startling the old wizard.

"What? Oh, yes, yes. I felt the shift in the castle. I felt Draco being transported alone. It was… unanticipated."

"Clearly," Harry shouted. He was trying to keep his calm, but this was just too much. Draco was gone, in the hands of Voldemort now, and being tortured even as they spoke. He could feel the pain Draco was in emanating through their shared marks. He was getting angrier by the second and Hermione's cool hand in his wasn't the same as Draco's.

Dumbledore looked concerned as his eyes fell on Harry's angry features. "Harry, your marks, tap into them. I can't have you losing your head for this."

Harry nodded and focused on Ember, and through her, Quill. The calm washed over him, but it wasn't the same. Along with the calm came Draco's panic and fear and Harry collapsed to his knees sobbing. He scarcely felt Hermione's arms wrapped tightly around him as his body shuddered with the force of his grief. "He's being tortured," he choked out.

Dumbledore didn't look concerned with that though. "He gave Voldemort the wand, he's being punished for his indiscretions with you."

"What wand?" Hermione asked, getting angry at Dumbledore's lack of concern.

"The gilded soul, that's what it was, a wand holding part of Voldemort's soul. I felt it leave the maze, and now I can feel it in Voldemort's hand." He was still pacing about his office, the portraits of former headmasters mumbling above him.

"I have to go to him, can you see where they are?" Harry pleaded.

"Malfoy Manor, of course. Voldemort must have been using the boy more than I expected. I hadn't foreseen this; his connection with Draco must be very strong. Tell me Harry, does Draco bare the Dark Mark?"

"No!" Harry and Hermione shouted in unison.

The old wizard looked perplexed by the joint admonishment. "You're sure, it may not be on his forearm?"

Harry rolled his eyes, getting angrier. "I would know."

Dumbledore nodded, seeming to believe him. "The connection is no longer important, the fact is, Voldemort now has the wand, and there is only a small window of time to act. Once he reunites his soul to his body, a transformation will begin. That is when he will be most vulnerable."

"What kind of transformation?" Harry let Hermione ask the pertinent questions before he exploded with rage and hurt her by accident.

"I can see his plans clearly now, and I was foolish not to see them sooner. He wants to become Tom Riddle again, at least have that body. He found it much more influential than his current form."

Hermione gaped. "Voldemort did all of this… to be pretty again?"

Dumbledore laughed, but it wasn't his usually light chuckle, it was dark and wicked. "No dear girl, this is only a fraction, the smallest part, of his overall plan. We must destroy him now; " the old wizards eyes locked with Harry's as he spoke, "and Harry must be the one to do it."

"Fine, send me then. I'll rescue Draco, and then kill the snake!" he spat.

"Draco is lost to us now. Your priority is Voldemort."

Hermione backed away as she felt the otherworldly heat burn her fingers and singe her hair. "Harry," she whispered, "please, please…"

Harry took a deep breath and tapped into that part of Draco he carried with him, feeling the rush of calm drift over him. "My priority is Draco. It always will be. The only reason I'm not obliterating this entire school is because he needs me."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "You're very naïve if you think I would let you do anything of the sort." He sat down in his chair and glared at the petulant Gryffindor. "Go and calm yourself down. I'll come and get you when it's time."

"What?" Harry shouted. "No, I'm going right now!"

Dumbledore shook his head abruptly. "We must wait, I told you, the window will be slim, and this must work. It may be the last chance we get to destroy him. Spend time with Hermione and your friends. You'll be leaving them all soon, and you may not come back."

Hermione gasped at this and Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Miss Granger, you knew this was a possibility. Please help Harry prepare for what he's about to face. Calm him down."

The door to his office opened of its own accord and Hermione shuffled a dumbstruck Harry through it.

--

Hermione sighed and pulled Harry into her arms. "You've really got to get this temper thing under control, Harry."

"All I need is for Draco to come back safe and sound. What was he thinking going off to Malfoy Manor?"

Hermione ran her fingers through his hair. They were outside by Harry's favorite tree, watching the giant squid make bubbling ripples in the smooth surface of the lake. "Maybe Dumbledore was right, maybe Voldemort had more of a hold on his mind than any of us had thought. Who knows how deep his influence could have gone."

"Hermione," Harry started through gritted teeth. "Watch what you're about to say. Draco was loyal, if to nothing else, he was loyal to me."

Hermione sighed. "How can you be so sure, Harry?"

"I just know… I … I can prove it!" he said at last, excitedly. She looked at him skeptically. "He had a journal, in the Slytherin dorm. He would write in it whenever he woke up."

"How do you know that?"

Harry gulped. "I saw it when I was," Harry paused in order to cough. It was only a moment later that Hermione realized he had said 'a bunny'.

Hermione tried to conceal her mirth at the statement. "Really? While you were an adorably fluffy black bunny?"

"Yes, while Draco took care of me and kept me out of harms way, unlike you." Harry was trying for a teasing voice, but he was still too angry to make it sound like a joke and Hermione winced.

"Let's go find it then. We can put all our minds at ease," she said, pulling him up to his feet.

"Fine, if it will make you feel better, but I already know the truth. Draco loves me and that's all I need to know."

--

"This can't be right," Harry stared down at the traitorous leather bound journal in disgust. Hermione's hand was covering over his own despite the occasional flinch when his power flared up. They had been in the Room of Requirement for a little over an hour with still no news from Dumbledore.

Hermione's face was tracked with tears as she read a letter, written in delicate scrolling handwriting, over and over again. "I just… can't believe it. In my wildest imagination I didn't think he was capable of this kind of manipulation. "

Harry shook his head, clearing away thoughts of Draco, lying naked and vulnerable beneath him, of the feel of his caress, the sound of his voice, the sound of those three little words rolling off his tongue. "He was lying to me?" It was a question. In the pit of his stomach he couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it. He was his pale dragon, marked by his own hand, touched by his own heart. He was his Slytherin.

It all seemed false in light of this new information.

It was fairly tame to begin with. The journal described the dreams Draco was having every night, same as Harry, but he already knew that. Occasionally there would be some sort of commentary about his father, or one of the other students. Harry's own name was even mentioned a time or two, always joined with biting remarks, or burning questions like ' why didn't he just accept my friendship from the start?'

Those were hard enough to read, but the worst was still to come. He wrote about Voldemort's plan for him at the school, about the cabinet in the Room of Requirement, and how he was tasked to bring Death Eaters into the school, and how he was supposed to kill Dumbledore. It had suddenly clicked as to why the old wizard was so wary to trust the Slytherin. Harry couldn't find a valid reason as to why Draco wouldn't tell him about it…except if he were lying.

Harry shook away the thought. He couldn't think about it.

Even those passages would have been bearable if it hadn't been for the other things he found. A list on the back page detailing his plans to make him trust Draco, that was impossible to ignore. It was all right there, everything that had happened before Christmas, spelled out in black and white. Everything that Harry had attributed to fate, to love… all just a scheme to get Harry to trust him.

Even Ron.

That might have been the worst of it. He knew it was for Hermione. The note they found from Draco's mother made it obvious that he was acting on Voldemort's orders, and that getting rid of Ron was all part of the game. Poor Ron, when he thought of how he treated him that day, how reviled he was to even look at his best friend… it made him queasy. Ron was probably just trying to protect him.

Harry sighed, feeling dejected. He no longer wanted to kill Voldemort, he only wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He felt ignorant for sticking up for him, for falling in love with him. He wanted to claw the phoenix off his back, bloody his skin, rip all the remnants of Draco away from himself.

"There has to be an explanation, there just has to be…" Even as the words left his mouth he wasn't sure he believed them.

"Should I read the letter out loud, Harry, would that help it to sink in?" Hermione huffed.

Harry didn't answer, because his eyes were on the doorway where Dumbledore stood with a solemn face. "It's time."

_--_

_Author's note: For anyone who wants to re-read Draco's note from his mother, you'll find it in chapter 8 Past, Present & Future. Go ahead and let the hate mail pour in. lol_


	40. Chapter 39 Leading the Lion to Slaughter

Author's note: 40 was going to be the last chapter, but Draco took me in another direction that I had not anticipated, so Chapter 40 will be a little shorter (about 1700 words or so) and then chapter 41 will be the end. I can't even tell you all how much your reviews and support have meant to me throughout this process! As I write the last words of this story, it makes me a little sad. The story will end this week, and I hope you are all as excited to read it as I have been to write it. The end is near, but on the bright side, I've already started my next D/H fic. lol so I hope to see you all again soon. And without further ado, I give you chapter 39

**Chapter 39 Leading the Lion to Slaughter**

Harry stood in Dumbledore's office staring at a small golden coin. The coin itself was lovely, with its intricately carved lion on the surface, but its significance was far greater than its beauty. The coin was a portkey that would take him to Malfoy Manor, and soon. He was about to set off to meet his possible death, and that felt okay with him, since he wasn't sure he had anything left to live for.

The betrayal of Draco still stung. Hermione stood beside him, her cool hand trembling in his. He looked into her tear-streaked face and smiled bravely. "It's okay, Mione. I'll be okay."

She sniffed and nodded, but obviously didn't believe him. His words made her tremble even more and she clutched onto him, unwilling to let go.

Dumbledore seemed to understand the gravity of the situation; he had overheard part of their conversation, and knew about Draco's true intentions being called into the light. "If you still want to save Draco, you'll find him in the dungeons. I wish you wouldn't, because it could compromise your mission there, but I understand if you need to do it." His voice was breaking even as his face tried not to give away his grief.

Harry nodded. "Thanks, professor. For everything."

The old wizard shook his head. "No, Harry. It is I who should be thanking you. I only hope my foolishness does not cost you your life. Please be careful, Harry. I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but you do still have so much to live for."

Harry nodded once, curtly, then looked to Hermione. "Thank you for being the cleverest witch of our age, and thank you for being my friend." He kissed her lightly on the forehead and her whole body shuddered with a sob. "Oh, and tell Ron I'm sorry, will you?"

She nodded, still clinging to his hand. He carefully extricated himself from her grasp and reached for the golden coin on the desk. "I'll miss you both," he said before vanishing.

--

The darkness saturated his vision. He could hear no movement besides his own ragged breathing. He worried about his mother, he blacked out before he saw what they did with her. He hoped she would not suffer, though at the moment he feared all he could wish for her was a swift painless death.

It was cold and damp and even in the dark he recognized the smell of the manor dungeons. It was ironic that he would meet his end here, in the bowls of his own home, by the man his father had invited into it.

His entire body ached.

He was chained somehow to the wall, but it wouldn't have mattered. He doubted he could move even if there was a way to escape.

His chest was almost bare, his shirt had been ripped to shreds by a series of slicing curses, along with his skin. He wondered if it would scar.

He laughed out loud to himself, the noise more of a raspy cough than a chuckle.

It didn't matter if it would scar, he was bound to die before it would have the chance to heal one way or the other.

He felt the dragon on his chest slither and slink through the cuts. It was healing them, slowly but surely, his bonding with Harry already proving more useful than he had ever thought possible.

Harry.

He made a right mess of that. His headstrong idea of taking on Voldemort alone had gotten him the opposite effect. It seemed that now Harry was in even more danger. The manor was crawling with Death Eaters now, and Voldemort would soon merge with his soul and his power base would be complete. He posed a much larger threat to his precious Gryffindor now.

He kept feeling flickers of emotion from Harry through his mark. He knew the exact moment Harry found him missing, and was both curious and relieved when he didn't see the Gryffindor come bounding into the manor after him. He was glad someone kept their head about them and didn't let Harry come save him. It would have only ended badly, and Draco couldn't bear to watch his love die.

He felt a new sensation in his mark, and he looked down at Quill, even though he couldn't see him in the dark. It was Harry. Harry was here.

--

He heard the voice before he saw the pale body in the gloom. "Harry, get out of here. It's a trap."

The voice cut deep into him and almost made him weep. Draco sounded so broken and frail that Harry momentarily forgot the betrayal. When thoughts of the journal and letter resurfaced, he gritted his teeth. "I'm not here for you, I'm just here for my own conscience. I don't want to die knowing you were still locked up down here."

Draco winced at Harry's biting words. "What's wrong?"

Harry laughed lowly, and the sound brought tears to Draco's eyes. "How dare you ask me that? We found your journal; I know it was all a lie. Everything you told me, you were just being a clever little Slytherin." He was right next to Draco now, his face so close, but he could only see the manic sparkle in his brilliant green eyes. "Well, it should please you to know that I fell for it. The stupid Gryffindor thought he was in love with a Slytherin."

Draco couldn't breathe, couldn't think of a way to tell Harry it wasn't true. "And the letter," Draco whispered.

With a flick of his hand Harry made the entire room light up. Draco blinked rapidly against the sudden brightness and found that his hands and feet were unbound.

Harry was still leaning over him, the look on his face tortured. "I trust you can find your own way out?" He didn't wait for an answer, just made a move to leave, but Draco's weak hand caught his and pulled him back around to face him. Harry's eyes raked over the Slytherin and he winced at the dried blood marring his perfectly pale skin and caked in his sweaty platinum hair. "Don't," Harry hissed.

Draco ignored him and pressed Harry's hand against his own heart, against their shared mark. "Harry, I love you. You have to believe that."

Harry tried to pull away and Draco placed his own hand on Harry's back, pinning him to him, but also touching his phoenix. They both gasped in unison as memories and thoughts and feelings barraged their minds, knocking the wind out of them both.

Harry couldn't breath as he watched himself through Draco's eyes. Watched Draco stare at him across a snow-laden field, the obvious yearning plain in his mind. He watched his own reactions to Draco being in the hospital after he rescued him, the confusion and the hope battling for first place in his thoughts. He felt the terror when Harry transformed into a bunny, and then again when he broke his leg, and when he thought Harry would never speak to him again.

He felt every genuine feeling of love, hate, selfishness, lust and fear that Draco had ever felt toward or about him. He understood in a flash the situation behind the letter and that fact that by the time Draco tried to befriend Harry, that he had already disregarded Voldemort's mission for him during the school year. He knew in that instant that the only reason for his list of ways to befriend him was to keep his own thoughts straight and that he wrote them out, as they happened, not as a master plan before hand.

He also felt the pain of his being beaten by Ron, not only the physical pain, but also the guilt from the result. He had hated to hurt Hermione, even if at the time it wasn't the most prevalent feeling.

Harry didn't even know that he was kissing Draco until the boy whimpered in pleasure. He pulled back slightly to look into his burning sliver eyes. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Draco shrugged elegantly. "The odds were against me, I could see how you would come to that conclusion." His smile turned stern a moment later. "Just don't let it happen again."

Harry laughed, and it was a relieved laugh, his heart was restored. "I love you, Draco Malfoy."

"I love you too, Harry potter."

"Well isn't this just precious," came a cackling voice fro behind them. "The lamb leading the lion to slaughter. How quaint."

--

Draco was bone weary, but he knew he had to make his stand with Harry to face Voldemort as one, side by side. This could be the last time he saw his Gryffindor, his phoenix, his Harry. With his assistance, Draco was able to stand and turned with Harry to meet Voldemort's gaze.

The Dark Lord was flanked by dozens of Death Eaters, come to watch the spectacle. He was no longer the vile loathsome creature he had been when Draco last saw him. He was slightly shorter, with hair almost as dark as Harry's and hauntingly brilliant blue eyes. His smooth skin was pale and unmarred by the snake like features the former face held.

"I'm too late," Harry whispered, so that only Draco could hear.

They were sorely outnumbered, and Draco didn't even have his wand. He latched onto Harry's hand. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault…"

Harry looked at him like there was no one else in the room but the two of them. His fears forgotten momentarily as Harry cupped his face in his hand, shushing him gently. "It's not your fault. This is my destiny. I'll always love you." His green eyes flared brightly, and Draco was too late to notice that the flare of green was not from inside Harry's eyes, but from the killing curse, emanating from Voldemort's wand.

Draco hadn't even heard the spell, he didn't have the time to say his good bye, and now Harry was being ripped from him. "I told you I would make you watch him die, Draco. Watch as the light leaves his eyes," the voice of Tom Riddle laughed.

And he did, Draco watched as Harry's eyes went from emerald gemstones to the darkest of green, almost black as the spell hit him square in the back. The light was gone, or at least the light Draco was used to seeing in his lovers eyes was gone, replaced by the light of flames.

Harry blinked, and that was the only indication Draco got that the curse had failed to kill its mark. Harry's lips curled into a slight smile as he turned around and faced a baffled Voldemort. "Riddle, you should know better than to use that curse on me." His voice was light and playful, but then changed into a low wild growl, "It's going to be the death of you."

Everything around Draco looked fuzzy, as if he were looking at it through thick glass. It was only then that he realized Harry had placed him inside one of his protective bubbles and that he was outside it, attacking Voldemort alone.

Draco wanted desperately to get to him, to touch him, to kiss him one last time before it all went black forever.

He could hear the banter between the Dark Lord and Harry as if listening to it from underwater. Voldemort was unmistakably confused by Harry's attempts to protect Draco, and the level at which he was capable of doing so.

"You have nothing. You're just a boy, useless against me. There is nothing you have that I cannot match with something more powerful." It sounded as if Voldemort was trying to convince himself more than Harry.

"Ah, you see that's where you're wrong." He looked over to Draco, the love of his life, and winked. "I have something to live for," he whispered. "And… I have this!"

At those final words an eruption burst from Harry's body, turning the entire dungeon into a raging inferno. Draco looked around him from within his protective bubble, watching as Voldemort, his now mortal body, screamed in agony and writhed in the fire, his golden wand discarded on the ground at his feet.

His cries were soon joined by that of his followers, clutching their faces as their silver masks heated and burned into their flash, their robes catching fire and filling the room with brightly lit, screaming torches.

He could sense the entire Manor was on fire, burning his childhood memories along with it, and he wondered briefly if his mother had felt any pain. Even if his father were ever to get out of prison, he would have nothing to come back to now.

The devastation began to wane and the fires died abruptly as the last Death Eater fell. It had been complete destruction. "Betrayal and death fall in its wake," he whispered the final line of the prophecy that they had not yet completed.

It was done. It was over.

"Harry, it's finished!" Draco exclaimed, looking over to where his Gryffindor stood.

Or should have been standing.

The smells of burning hair and flesh filled his nostrils, making him queasy, and he realized he was no longer being protected. Quill was clawing fiercely at his chest and he winced in pain. He rushed the few steps to get to where he had last seen Harry, and there was no one. He looked around and around the blisteringly hot dungeons looking for any sign of him, unaware of the tears streaming down his face, and the faint 'no, no, no' escaping his quivering lips.

There was no sign of Harry anywhere.

He looked down, and at his feet, was a pile of ash. 'No, no, no'

He could no longer stand; he collapsed to his knees, gently reaching out to the ashes in front of him. There was a wand, Harry's wand, in the debris. A choked sob escaped his lips as he picked it up. Harry didn't even need a wand, but he often carried it around for appearances. He ran his fingertips up and down the scorched wood, and then placed it back into the ash.

He couldn't breath.

Harry was gone.

A small flash of gold caught his attention. He looked down to see an unmarred gold coin, half still buried in the ash. He carefully reached for it and saw the gleaming lion face stare back at him defiantly from the coins face. "My Gryffindor," Draco whimpered as he touched the coin.

He thought he was about to retch, but soon recognized the familiar pull in his navel of a portkey.

--

Draco was still shaking as Dumbledor placed a teacup in his hand. The cup rattled against the saucer like chattering teeth in the cold. He raised it to his lips but didn't drink; he just let the warm liquid steam over his face. He had told Dumbledore everything, from what happened in the maze, to being tortured, to Harry's freeing him. He even told him about how their minds linked and images rushed between them, letting Harry understand all that had happened between them in an instant.

"I have already sent the team of Aurors to Malfoy Manor. If everything is as you explained, you will be free to go, but for the time being, I would like you to return to the Room of Requirement." Dumbledore's face was kind and soft, but forcefully so, as if he had to work very hard at it. Draco recalled the way his careful face had fallen when Draco relayed what he could articulate about the battle and about Harry.

'I had given myself away to hope, I sincerely wanted Harry's powers to be enough to kill Tom Riddle and still keep himself alive,' was all the old man had said on the matter. A death errand. That's what it had been.

Draco nodded and let the headmaster lead him from the office and up to the Room of Requirement. Draco walked into the room alone. He stared around at the room he had shared with Harry for so long. It seemed like he had been with Harry for years, had it really only been months? No, that wasn't true after all, Harry had been a part of his life since he was eleven.

He could feel the Dragon on his chest like a living force, and that presence was the only thing keeping him from breaking apart. If Harry were truly gone, then his mark would fade. He was certain of it.

He stripped his robes and shirt off and stared at the Dragon sleeping peacefully on his chest. He curled up on the bed, facing the place where Harry slept, where he would sleep again, and he wept.

--

He didn't know how long he had been asleep when he finally woke. He hadn't even remembered falling asleep. All he knew was that a new smell was interfering with the fragrance of Harry on his pillow.

His eyes snapped open and found a disheveled Hermione sitting on Harry's side of the bed. "Get off!" Draco shouted, before he even knew what he was saying. Hermione jumped up, her red ringed eyes wide. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry… you startled me," he apologized. "It's just that… that's Harry's side of the bed."

Her face softened and she nodded. "Right, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." She shifted awkwardly and Draco nodded to the armchairs. They sat down without a word, each staring into the fire. Hermione broke the silence first.

"So professor Dumbledore told me… everything." Draco nodded but didn't say anything. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it…"

"Thanks."

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip. "Listen, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions about your loyalty to Harry." Draco only nodded again. He wanted to stop being rude to Hermione. He wanted to be able to answer all her questions, but he just felt so… empty.

"I brought something for you." Before he even noticed she had gotten up, she came back over and sat down again. She handed him a small golden box, carved with a beautiful intricate phoenix. The initials H. J. P in a scrolling script on the lid. "It's his…" she couldn't finish the sentence, choking on her own silent sobs, but she didn't need to. Draco understood.

These were Harry's ashes. Harry was gone.

Author's note: sniff. Remeber the faeries. Review


	41. Chapter 40 Dragon's Lament

Author's note: This is almost the end. I'm sorry this one is shorter than the rest, but Draco needed a chapter to morn.

**Chapter 40 Dragon's Lament**

The funeral was silent.

Well, _this_ funeral was silent. This was the third funeral Draco had attended in as many days. It had been nearly a week since the fated battle that took his Gryffindor away, and everyday his mark grew more lethargic. Quill never moved at all now.

The implications of that fact didn't escape Draco, but he tried not to dwell on it. It was already too hard not to cry, as he latched tightly to the small golden box that held his true loves ashes.

The first service had been held in the great hall for the students of Hogwarts. Draco was barely coherent for that one. He had only vaguely felt Hermione shuffling him along to his seat and weeping against his shoulder. He seemed to have been out of tears, having cried for days straight after the battle.

He could somewhat remember causing a scene when Dumbledore tried to take the golden urn from him, in order to allow the students to pay their respects. Draco's knuckles were white from trying to hold onto it. In the end he had to stand in front of the great hall, holding the box, as students passed, giving him pitiful looks and offering condolences.

It was sickening to have to muddle through, but he couldn't let go of the box, just couldn't let go. The only thing that kept him from running out of the hall screaming was Hermione, standing beside him like a solemn rock. She had provided his solidarity over the previous few days, and Draco didn't know what he would have done without her. In fact, he wasn't sure how he had managed to function with Hermione for so long as he had; she was a force to reckon with.

The next funeral he attended had been for Ministry officials. It was at least short and fairly straight forward, no eulogies that seemed to last a decade, or sob filled stories told by people who didn't even know him.

Though there were only a few people who could count themselves among those who really knew Harry Potter. Everyone knew of him, but the list of people that knew the inner workings, what made Harry, Harry, was slim. Those that did really know Harry were some of the only ones not to speak at his many memorial services. It was too difficult. You couldn't really know Harry and not be devastated by his passing. Even Dumbledore declined to stand up in front of the Ministry and talk about the late Harry Potter.

The final service, the one he was currently ignoring to the best of his ability, was for the public. Anyone and everyone who wished to pay their last respects to the Gryffindor Golden Boy was now seated in front of him. Draco stayed in the back row, not wanting to participate in the sappy speeches and false sentiments. He still clutched his golden box, and he stared at it, wishing it were just a pretty trinket, instead of his lover's last resting place.

His mother sat beside him. It was a surprise to see her, he had been sure she wouldn't have made it through the raging fire that consumed the manor. He hadn't been back there since, but he heard about the complete and utter destruction of his childhood home. The Aurors had found his mother unconscious but otherwise completely unharmed in the area where her bedroom had been. She had been protected by Harry, just as he had, just as Harry had promised.

Somehow he sought her out with his magic, to keep her safe. Gryffindor's always keep their promises, or maybe that was just Harry.

A single tear escaped his stormy eyes and his mother squeezed his hand. She had been unwavering in her support of Draco since the battle. At first it he assumed that it was because his abomination with Harry was abruptly ended with his death, but it seemed Harry's protection of her and her son gave Narsissa a newfound respect for him, however late it seemed to come. He was still grateful that she seemed accepting of his preference, though in all honesty his preference wasn't for men, it was for Harry. He couldn't see himself with anyone else. Not ever.

Hermione nudged Draco lightly and nodded toward the front of the auditorium. Draco wasn't surprised to see someone he didn't know up in front of the congregation speaking about Harry, because it had already happened more times than he could count. This chubby inarticulate brute seemed to garner Hermione's attention though. He gave her a quizzical look and she leaned in and whispered in his ear, "That's Dudley."

Draco's eyes widened slightly as he looked back up to the speaker. He didn't look a thing like Harry, but was apparently his cousin, the oaf who had treated Harry like dirt throughout his entire childhood. Draco listened closely, ready to jump up and throttle the muggle if he said a single derogatory thing about his Harry.

"I-I didn't know Harry well, e-even though we grew up in the same house. I was… ignorant and cruel to him." There were many gasps and whispers at that comment, but Dudley pressed on. "In spite of how mean we were to him… h-he still saved my life… I-I never thanked him b-but I wish I had. I'm sorry, Harry." The lump removed himself from the front of the room and scurried away, as fast as his thick body would take him, up the aisle and past where Draco sat.

Odd.

Draco wondered briefly if Harry would have been touched by the belated apology, or if he would have been just as disgusted by it as Draco was. No one seemed to realize how special Harry was until it was too late.

Even himself.

He had perhaps realized it, but he never did anything about it until a mere few months ago. It was something Draco knew would fill him with regret for his entire life. He wanted more time.

Time to make up for all the awful things he had done to Harry over the years. Time to hold him and kiss him. Time to tell him he loved him.

It was too late.

Too late for Hermione to tell him about the secret crush she had been harboring for years, too late for Ron to apologize for his bigotry, too late for Dumbledore to tell him he loved him like a son, to late for the Dursley's to repent, too late for Remus to tell him about his forbidden relationship with Sirius, too late for Snape to reconcile with him… too late. For all of it.

The room was stifling, smothering and he couldn't breath. He leapt to his feet and bolted from the room. Once outside he collapsed in the shady cathedral entrance, pressing his forehead to the cold marble floor. He didn't know why they chose this place; it had no significance to Harry, or even wizards in general. A muggle church. Draco scoffed to himself. Harry wasn't even religious.

Once outside he couldn't stop the sobs from coming, his whole body shook with them. So much so, that he hadn't felt the small hand on his shoulder for several moments. Not until he heard the voice that went along with it. "Draco?"

Trying to quickly compose his features, he pulled himself up and smiled weakly at Hermione. He had been trying to be brave; he knew she missed him just as much. "I just couldn't listen to anymore."

She nodded her understanding. "It's a bit much isn't it? Those people barely even knew him and…" She shook her head, unable to finish the sentence.

They sat in silence while the service went on without them inside. Draco looked down at the golden box in his had and shuddered with another silent sob. "He's really gone isn't he?"

Hermione didn't answer, she just pulled him tightly to her. "He loved you so much," she whispered against his hair. "He was happier with you than I had ever seen him."

Draco tried to reply but words failed him, so he just let her continue to hold him, and rock him like a child.

--

Draco woke up with bleary red eyes, his body felt weak and broken, probably due to the lack of food he had consumed over the past week. Even though Hermione insisted he eat, it was easy to defy her, because she wasn't even practicing her own demands.

The scent of Harry had long left their bed. He desperately tried to cling to it, but it seemed the harder he tried, the fainter it was, till finally he woke up and it was gone. He slid out of bed and padded over to the wardrobe, looking at his reflection in the mirror Harry had transfigured on the door.

He was a wreck. His hair was disheveled and grimy, a slick sheen of grease coating it from root to tip. His eyes were red and dull, with deep purple rings underneath. His face was sunken and hollow, his body quickly following suit.

Something else was off too, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

A strangled sob erupted from his chapped lips as he looked at his chest. His mark, Harry's mark, it was gone, faded into his skin like an old scar. Draco fell to his knees; his piercing sobs echoing through the room.

This was the moment he had been dreading the entire week. The moment he would have to face that it was over, that Harry was gone and never coming back. He didn't think he could handle the pain that wracked his body, splitting his heart into a million pieces, never to be mended again. He was no longer whole; he wasn't even half of himself without Harry.

He had no reason to live now. No reason to keep up this partial, cursed existence.

He just had one last thing to do, then he could sleep. Sleep away the rest of his life in glorious peace, back with his beautiful Harry.

_--_

_**Author's note. Sorry this one is shorter, I'm not sure how much of desolate Draco anyone could take, I know this was one of the hardest chapters I have ever had to write. Remember the faeries... On a happier note, for those of you who didn't already see, I posted the first chapter of my new story yesterday. It's called Divided. **_


	42. Chapter 41 Eternal

Chapter 41 Eternal

**Author's note: And here it is, the final installment of my humble little fanfiction. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please review! I'm eager to see what you all think!**

**Chapter 41 Eternal**

Godric's Hollow felt empty and cold, especially in front of Harry's ruined childhood house. This was just another thing he had in common with his Gryffindor, the charred remnants of home. The sun was setting behind the house and the brilliant reds and blues made the home look as if it were still on fire.

It was larger than Draco had expected. He wasn't sure why, he knew that Harry's father was pureblood of an ancient line, but he had never equated his own wealth to that of Harry's. He now realized that he was a closer match than he had imagined. He and Harry were so much the same person it was uncanny, and every new realization made his heart ache even deeper.

They were fated to be together, of that Draco was certain, but it only made it that much harder to accept that he was gone.

Clutching the golden urn in his hands, he passed the Potter family manor and kept walking quietly down the tree-lined street.

As he left the residential part of the village, he made his way to the small town square. Godric's Hollow was a prestigious wizarding neighborhood, and residents were out in the streets celebrating the death of Voldemort. Even a week past the event people were still thrilled into giddiness to be beyond the burden of war.

There would be no celebrations for Draco.

He wouldn't have traded Harry for Voldemort being gone. It was selfish, he knew, but he couldn't fathom ever getting over this sharp pain in his chest every time he thought about Harry.

Hermione tried to assure him that it would ease, and maybe it would, but that almost seemed worse. When the stabbing feeling turned into a dull ache, it would only serve as a reminder that he was forgetting, just like that worthless Rememberall that he stole from Neville in their first year.

More than anything he didn't want to forget his Harry. The way he laughed at his sarcastic remarks, the way his eyes sparkled with defiance when he would say something uncouth, the way his lips felt, and tasted.

The world around him became blurry with tears as he followed the little cobblestone path back to the town's cemetery. It was easy to pick out Lily and James' tombstones because they were draped with flowers. It must have occurred during one of Harry's multiple memorial services. It was very common when wizards buried the child, to remember the parents.

Harry wasn't buried here though, at least not yet.

Draco was certain that this would have been what Harry wanted. They had never discussed it, and although that seemed foolish in hindsight, neither of them wanted to have the morbid conversation about their… remains. Draco sighed, trying to hold back the tears as long as he could.

The cemetery was empty, and he was grateful for that. It was as if the village understood his need to be alone. A small silver dagger was a heavy weight in his pocket, but he tried to ignore it as he made his way to his intended location. The dagger was for later, after he took care of his responsibilities to Harry. He wondered briefly if Hermione had found the note he left in the Room of Requirement yet.

Suicide letter. He almost laughed out loud at the thought. So undignified, so unbefitting a Malfoy, and something he had never considered for even one second before Harry left him. Now it was all he could think about. He craved the peace it would bring him.

He knelt in front of the Potter graves and ran his finger along the grooves of the writing on each stone. Lily and James, Harry's prefect parents. He wondered if Harry was already in their company. Draco also wondered if they would accept him when he joined them soon as well. What would Harry's parent think about their gay sons lover? He stifled another laugh.

"I guess I ought to introduce myself," he spoke quietly to the stone markers. "My name is Draco Malfoy, and I love your son Harry. I love him with all of my heart, and I'm here to return him to you."

His breathing quickened as he spoke, still trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall messily down his cheeks. "I wish I could have saved him, I would have wanted nothing more than to be with him, but you're both probably happy to have him back with you. I know he missed you both dearly."

He pried open the golden box and stared blurrily at the contents. It didn't seem like much, it didn't seem like his Harry could have compacted down to this bit of ash he held in his hands. "Harry, I love you. I'll be with you soon."

At his last words, he tipped the golden box over and let the ashes settle over the graves of Harry's parents. It seemed like the right thing to do.

"I love you so much, Harry. I only wish I could have had more time to tell you that," he whispered to the scattered ashes on the ground.

He let the tears fall then, hot and fast. He had held back as long as he could, but the feeling off loss wracked his body now, bowing his spine and ripping the sobs from his lips.

He didn't know how long he sat that way, minutes or hours, but it was fully dark when he looked back up. He wiped at his swollen face and sighed, reaching into his robe pocket for the small silver dagger.

He turned the blade over and over in his hand, mesmerized at the way the moonlight reflected off of its surface. It was an old family heirloom; he had brought it with him on his very first day to Hogwarts. It was just longer than his hand and about two inches wide at the hilt. The handle was made of silver, and had an intricately carved snake staring back at him, two emerald eyes sparkling in its face.

Harry's eyes. It suddenly seemed even more appropriate that he do this, here over Harry's parents graves and Harry's own ashes.

The blade slipped slightly in his trembling hands and sliced into his hand. Draco hissed at the cut on his palm and winced. "Ouch, that smarts," he muttered, trying to stop a bubble of laughter. Here he was about to slice into his own throat and he was complaining about a little cut on his hand.

He squeezed his injured hand into a fist, watching the blood trickle down, landing in fat drops and mixing with the soil and ashes at his knees. He watched the blood sink into the ground and disappear.

Draco took a deep shuddering breath and pressed the tip of the blade lightly against the pale skin of his neck. "Here I come, Harry," he whispered, closing his eyes.

Several things happened at once. Draco felt a terrible chill well up from the ground below him and he opened his eyes and jumped back. Lowering the dagger, he watched as the ground over the graves shimmered and shifted in the moonlight.

The soil in front of him erupted in breathtaking flames, blue and green in color. Draco stepped forward, reaching a hand toward the fame. It was cold to the touch, not hot at all. He watched his fingertips dance in the glistening turquoise light.

A moment later the flames were gone, disappearing back into the ground as quickly as they had come up. Draco felt a little bereft at their absence, but when his eyes trailed down to the graves they had disappeared into, his heart jumped.

There in a quivering heap, naked and pale, was a teenage boy. Draco knew that messy black hair, the curve of that spine, and the beautiful phoenix tattoo anywhere. His dragon mark burst to life on his chest, stretching and clawing against him, and in that moment his heart felt whole again.

"Harry!" he shouted, not caring that it was broken and raw from the evening's emotional events. He had his Harry back and it was more of a blessing than he could have prepared for.

He knelt beside the quivering boy and ran his hand down his back. "Harry," he whispered, quieter this time, right against his ear.

The boy turned his head weakly and stared at Draco, his brilliant green eyes penetrating his soul. "Draco?" The tone was soft and questioning, his voice cracked and shaky like he hadn't used it in a while, a week to be precise.

Draco nodded and pulled Harry into his arms. "It's okay, we're together now, and I won't ever let anything happen to you again." He was sobbing into the Gryffindor's messy black hair, pressing his lips against his head intermittently between whispered loving comments. "I love you, Harry. I love you."

Harry looked up then, locking eyes with Draco and a slow smile spread across his previously confused face. "I love you too."

--

**Ten Years Later**

Draco shuffled and kicked at the gravel walkway, irritated, sending sprawling showers of pebbles careening ahead of him. They were on their way home from Hogwarts, having just attended another Quidditch match, the last of the season. Hermione had left them at the entrance gate, opting to apparate home to her flat in London, rather than put up with Draco's sulky mood.

He hated losing. Harry walked beside him with a silly grin plastered to his adorable features, which just only served to annoy Draco further.

The lights of Hogsmeade were directly ahead of him now, and he consciously sped up slightly. Might as well get the gloating over with. Gryffindor beat Slytherin yet again, expertly securing the Quidditch cup. It had been a blood bath; the Slytherin's hadn't even scored once, before those blasted lions swooped in and grabbed the snitch, ensuring their victory.

"I suppose you'll be wanting your drink now?" he asked Harry as they came up to the Three Broomsticks.

Harry walked toward the pub automatically but then stopped abruptly in his tracks, causing Draco to crash into him roughly. "Hey, watch it, Potter," he sneered.

Harry chuckled lightly and pulled Draco by his robes quickly into the alley. He pressed him up against the wall and kissed him fiercely. Draco seemed shocked at first but quickly responded to the kiss, his pale hands reaching into Harry's robes to pull him closer.

They broke away panting for breath, even after all these years, their bodies seemed to melt into one another, their kisses still held the same passion as the very first time. "I was thinking," he whispered seductively against Draco's ear, "that we could establish a new tradition for the winner of our little bets."

"Oh?" Draco asked, his voice breaking slightly at his own arousal. "Did you have something specific in mind?"

Harry chuckled lowly and it sent shivers down Draco's spine. "I might."

"Come on then, Potter, spit it out," Draco replied with feigned impatience.

A smirk broke across Harry's face. "The winner gets a sexual favor from the loser."

Draco pretended to mull it over for a moment, there was really nothing to think about, there wasn't a single thing Harry could ask him to do that we wouldn't be happy to oblige him with. "Sounds fair. Any ideas?"

Harry's smirk turned into a predatory grin and Draco shuddered with anticipation. Harry whispered against his ear and the Slytherin's eyes widened. "Here?" he sputtered, looking around to the entrance of the alley where the occasional witch or wizard still passed.

Harry only nodded, still grinning.

Draco shook his head in fake irritation. "I swear Harry, you get dirtier and dirtier all the time."

Harry laughed then, and it was filled with liquid desire. "At least you won't get bored," he added huskily.

"No, Harry, I could never get bored with you, you're stuck with me. Love like ours is eternal," Draco replied, his voice already thick with lust, as he pulled him into another searing kiss.

-- FIN --

Author's note: You have all been the best readers a girl could ask for! I hope you enjoyed the story, if anyone was left with unanswered questions or anything else, please post it in the review, or send me a note. I promise to reply to everyone. I'm already working on another D/H fic called Divided (title art can be found on my website or my livejournal) The first chapter is already posted here on . Hope you all read it too.


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